Silent Voices
by WickedgreenPhantom
Summary: She is a Norwegian girl silenced by a language barrier. He is a boy silenced from birth, born profoundly deaf. Both thrown into a mainstream American high school. Facing tests,bullies & the urge to be heard. Will they be able to communicate with each other, or will their voices remain silenced? Jelsa AU
1. Chapter 1

Elsa sat with her face pressed against the window of her grandparent's car. The tears fell silently from her eyes whilst she watched the familiarity of her grandparent's home fade away. Memories of the last 17 years of her life played in her mind whilst the car passed through the small tree lined town of Arendelle, Norway.

The colourful buildings that she loved so much, all set against a stunning background of hills, with the imposing North Mountain in the far distance. Her eyes glanced to a young child, running to stand and pose in front of the former Arendelle Castle whilst her proud father snapped a photo, the grand building now a museum detailing the area's former royal ties.

She couldn't help but smile as a memory came to her, as children her and Anna had been fascinated with the beautiful building and would beg their parents to take them to visit the grounds on the weekend. Their parents had been only too happy to oblige, allowing the girls to dress in their finest dresses as they would curtsy and spin around, announcing themselves as Princess Elsa and Princess Anna of Arendelle to all who would listen.

"Elsa," her mother's voice called softly placing a hand on her daughters knee. "It will be okay, Arendelle will always be here to visit."

Elsa turned to look at her mother, noting the concern in the woman's hazel eyes as she gazed at her, patiently waiting for her response. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out, instead she looked past her mother to where Anna sat, casually flicking through a teen magazine, completely non-fussed with the fact that they were leaving their home forever.

She sighed, leaning back against her seat. She loved her sister dearly, but when it came to the move, she had to admit that her and 14 year old Anna shared completely different opinions. They had been told only six months ago that they would be moving, their father, Walt Andersen, a respected neurosurgeon had accepted a position at Great Eastern, a large hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Anna had been overjoyed, her mind filled with the promise of 'American life,' as depicted in various teen movies and television shows. Stereotypes or not, she was convinced her new life would include joining the school cheerleading squad, accompanying school sports stars to a variety of dances and spending her weekends browsing the local mall with her new friends. Elsa had tried to reason with Anna, to warn her that there was more to their new country than what was depicted in fiction, but had given up, allowing the younger girl to keep optimism.

Elsa, on the other hand was dreading the move. She was not as outgoing as her younger sister, whereas Anna found it easy to make friends, Elsa took her time. She had a small select group of friends that she'd had since first grade, Ingrid and Martine, the trio managing to fly under the radar, largely overlooked by the kids in their school and that was exactly how they liked it.

"Papa, when we arrive in the United States I will call you Dad, and Mama will be Mom," Anna said, watching as her father stepped through security at the airport. "In America they say Mom and Dad, not Mama and Papa."

Walt chuckled, turning to smile at his youngest daughter. "Alright, Anna, if you insist. So long as you still listen to us, that is all we can ask for."

Elsa frowned, her eyes flicking between her parents. With all her concern at leaving her home, she'd not even stopped to consider the fact that she might be expected to change how she approached her parents. She'd been too concerned with the prospect of having to rely almost entirely on English as her primary language.

The Andersen girls could speak English, both having learnt it from an early age, however, their approach to the language was completely different. Anna was confident in speaking English and would frequently watch movies, and listen to music in English, as well as conversing with native speakers. Elsa, on the otherhand preferred to speak in her native Norwegian. She lacked the confidence in her oral/ aural English that Anna had. Academically, Elsa's grasp on English was perfect, she could read and write with little problems. However, when it came to speaking the language she would falter. She would lose her confidence at an alarming rate, stumbling over certain words or sentence structure.

…..**~X~**...

After a long flight, lasting just under 8 hours, the family arrived in their new home of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Yawning, Elsa followed her father. Watching as he presented their papers to a customs officer, before smiling politely when the man welcomed them to their new homeland. Making their way to the carousel, the family found a hospital representative, sign in hand, as he waited for them, greeting the family politely as they waited to collect their luggage.

Elsa lagged behind, watching as her father walked ahead with his new colleague, suitcases in hand as they were led towards a small SUV in the airport parking lot. Beside her, Anna skipped about eagerly, excited to leave the confines of the airport and start exploring. Elsa sighed, smiling bleakly as her father helped load her case into the back of his colleague's car.

Elsa sat in the back of the car, listening as her father explained how the hospital had organised a furnished townhouse for the family to rent, as well as helped him to lease a new car.

"The hospital has been fantastic, they've really gone out the way to help make this transition as smooth as possible," Walt said, leaning back to beam at his family. "Of course, as we settle in we can look at finding our own home, and filling it with furniture of our choice."

Elsa nodded, redirecting her focus to the foreign scenery as it whirred past the window. She didn't want new furniture, or a new home. She wanted Arendelle.

Elsa's eyes widened as her father's colleague pulled the car into the driveway of a two story town-house in a small cul-de-sac. Looking around she was surprised to find the homes all looked remarkably similar, a small portion of them proudly displaying the American flag. A tiny reminder that they were a long way from home.

"Our home is in a relatively new development," Walt smiled, gently placing his hand on Elsa's shoulder. "From what I've been told there is a nice park right around the corner, and buses which will take you right into the city."

Elsa nodded, following her father into their new home. From upstairs she could hear Anna shrieking as she lay claim to her room. Slowly she scanned the new surroundings with the strange furnishings, all around her people kept using the word 'home', but this wasn't home. Arendelle was home. Her 'home' was loaded with memories and well loved furniture; like the couch which had somehow managed to stand up to Anna's constant jumping on it, or the small recliner by the window where Elsa would curl up under a blanket to read her favourite books.

Making her way upstairs, Elsa found her new room. Her eyes surveyed the large bed with a built in robe, desk, matching bookcase, and matching bedside table. It was all too 'plain', right down to the bland white comforter which lay on her new bed

"I know it's not much, but we will go to the shops. Your grandparents have left us with a bit of money for you and Anna so that you can personalise your room with new lamps and knick knacks," Lillian said, smiling as she walked towards Elsa. "Your father is on the phone now organising for our belongings from Arendelle to be delivered."

…**~X~**...

The family had been residents of the USA for a week. In that short time they had been quick to get themselves up and running, wasting no time in setting up social security numbers, bank accounts for Anna and Elsa, as well as enrolling the girls in the local high school. Their belongings from Arendelle had been delivered promptly, allowing for a tiny sense of familiarity as they set about unpacking.

As promised the girls had been taken shopping at their local mall to deck their rooms out with new lamps, phones and school supplies. Anna's eyes had lit up as they explored their new local mall, eagerly exploring the stores and happily conversing with the amused shop assistants, eager to discuss a variety of topics with anyone willing to engage her. Elsa had remained silent, allowing her mum and sister to do most of the talking for her. Feeling a small sense of gratitude for her younger sibling's talkative nature.

"You girls ready for tomorrow?" Walt asked, pausing in between mouthfuls of Kjøttkaker.

"Of course, Dad," Anna replied, flashing a wide smile. "I can't wait to get to meet everyone. I think if I had to hang around here for any longer I'd go crazy."

Elsa frowned, and shook her head, unsure if she would ever be ready for starting at her new school. She had driven past the new school the day before, her mother stopping to reassure her that Burgess High was considered one of the best schools in the city.

"What about you Elsa?" her father asked, smiling kindly. "Are you ready for school?"

"No, Papa," Elsa replied, swallowing the last of her potato. "Sunday night, it always comes too quickly, I don't want to start school here, I'm not ready."

"Oh, Elsa, it will be fun!" Anna interrupted, reaching to nudge her sister. "We're talking, cheerleading, dances, hot boys. I definitely plan on finding a hot American boyfriend to impress my friends back in Norway with. You never know, you may even find a boyfriend too, Elsa."

Elsa chortled, turning to look at her younger sister. "Anna, I don't need or want a boyfriend," she protested. "I am more concerned with my grades and being able to understand my teachers and classmates, and using the correct English."

"You'll be fine, Elsa," Walt began, his brown eyes fixed on Elsa. "You are a smart girl. You just need more confidence with your English, you can start by using it more around home, from now on I want us all to try and speak more English when at home."

Elsa nodded, giving her parents a warm smile before excusing herself. Walking up the stairs, she couldn't help but laugh as Anna's happy voice trailed through the house, eagerly discussing all the ways she planned to integrate herself into American culture. For Anna, the USA was her new home, a land filled with excitement, and endless possibilities, for Elsa, it was the place that she was stuck at least until she had completed her studies and could return home to Arendelle.

**A/N- Hi, welcome to my new story. I hope I can do it justice. I would like to point out that I am neither Norwegian, or American. Instead I'm a born and bred Australian with no knowledge of moving to a foreign country. So there will be a lot of research put in, as well as talking with friends who have knowledge of Norway, learning English, Deaf/ hearing impaired issues, Pennsylvania state, USA and what it's like to migrate to the USA.**

**Kjøttkaker**

**Minced beef rolled into balls and then fried. Served with gravy, mushy peas and boiled potatoes.**


	2. Chapter 2

Jack's eyes darted around the busy halls of Burgess High School. He'd not seen them yet, but experience had taught him that didn't mean they weren't around. He may only have been attending the school for three months, but he had already learnt their pattern.

He picked up the pace as he continued on his way to his homeroom, keeping to the walls, trying his hardest to blend in and remain unnoticed. He had almost made it to his destination when they struck, a firm hand gripped at his arm, roughly turning him around to face the assailant. His eyes widened as a boy known only as Tyler, pushed him against the wall, a small group of three other boys, his accomplices keeping look out.

Jack watched as his bully grinned, bowing his head as he caught sight of Jack's messenger bag. From the reception he was getting, Jack could tell that Tyler was saying something to amuse his friends. Their bodies shaking whilst they watched Tyler rip at the Harry Potter buttons Jack had pinned to his bag, pulling the treasured buttons off before shoving them in his own pocket.

Raising his head, Tyler smirked, his eyes fixed on Jack as he gave him one final shove before turning and walking away. No words were needed to be said, the message was clear. "Tell no one."

Jack breathed a sigh of relief, watching as Tyler and his friends backed away, slinking back into the crowd. His head down, Jack continued on his way, ignoring the looks from fellow students. He was used to being ignored at this school, as the only Deaf student in the school Jack knew he was viewed as different. Not only was he the new boy, but he was the Deaf one at that, transferring into the school at the end of year eleven. Most of his classmates had been attending the school for years, friendship groups had already been formed. For the majority of students, learning sign or communicating via handwritten messages, or a translator was deemed too difficult, and so they left him alone, only interacting with him when class projects forced them to.

It hadn't always been that way, up until recently Jack had attended a small school for the Deaf and hearing impaired where he found himself amongst peers. Lessons were taught by teachers with experience in American sign language, with the school tailored to meet the needs of hearing impaired students. There, he had enjoyed an active social life with a select group of friends who accepted him despite his penchant for pranks and his Harry Potter obsession.

His world had changed however when his father had left, running out on his wife and two children. Jack's mother had been forced to sell the family home, moving the family into a smaller rented home and taking on extra shifts at her waitressing job. Sadly the cost of sending Jack to his specialist school had proven too much and she'd reluctantly enrolled Jack to finish his senior year in the local high school.

Finding his locker, Jack spun the dial to unlock it, carefully placing his bag in the locker, before pulling out the books he'd need for his morning lessons.

Sighing he made his way into his homeroom, he could see his interpreter, Hans standing next to the home room teacher, coffee in hand. Grinning, Jack went up to the auburn haired male, coming to stand in front of him, waiting patiently whilst the young man placed his coffee cup down on the table.

"How are you?" Hans signed, making sure to speak the words as well.

Jack frowned, glancing at Hans before replying. "Not bad," he signed "For a Monday, I mean."

Jack grinned, watching as Hans broke out in a wide smile, his body shaking. "Too true," he signed. "But at least once we get through Monday it's only four more days until the weekend."

Jack nodded, making his way to his assigned seat up the front of the class. When the school had told him he would be assigned an interpreter he'd worried, the thought of being stuck with an old, boring and humourless man had crossed his mind. To his relief, they had assigned him Hans, a young graduate in his mid 20's. Jack had taken an instant liking to the man, finding him to be friendly, caring and with a good sense of humour. The older man had been with him for the past three months, trailing with him to classes and school assemblies, working hard to translate the words that Jack's teacher and classmates were saying to Jack, and the words Jack signed.

Jack watched as his homeroom teacher raised his head. His eyes glanced to the clock, noting it was the official start of the school day. All around him his classmates got to their feet, turning to face the flag in the corner of the room. Quickly, Hans sprung into position, standing beside the teacher as his hands signed, translating the words to Jack as they signed the Pledge of Allegiance.

….**~X~**...

Biting her lip, Elsa followed the bored looking teenage girl along the halls of Burgess High School, all around her students rushed to their homerooms, moving in groups, laughing and talking loudly.

After arriving in the school office, the principal had called down two students from Anna and Elsa's respective homerooms, introducing the sisters to their new classmates and sending them on their way.

Anna had rushed off happily chatting with her classmate, a girl with long blonde hair who had stuck her hand out, eagerly introducing herself as Rachel. To her dismay, the girl who had been sent to collect Elsa had been less friendly, grunting her greeting as she beckoned for Elsa to follow.

"Your locker is here, homeroom is right over there. I'll leave you to figure it out," the girl said.

Elsa nodded, turning to face her assigned locker whilst she studied the piece of paper with her combination on it. Opening her locker she slid her bag in, carefully placing her new folders and papers in the locker before studying her schedule.

Walking into the homeroom, she could feel her anxiety rising as her new classmates attention turned to her. Bowing her head, she made her way to the teacher, handing over the note from the front office.

"Oh, you're the Norwegian girl?" the teacher spoke slowly and clear.

"Elsa," she whispered, blushing.

The teacher smiled. "I'm Mrs Oliver," she stated. "If you need any help just come to find me."

Elsa nodded, racking her brain as to what to say. In the end she just offered the lady a polite smile before turning to find a seat, sliding into an empty seat in the middle of the room, carefully placing her books in a neat pile on the table in front of her.

"You can't sit here," a voice said.

Raising her head, Elsa found herself face to face with a girl, her black hair pulled into a high ponytail. Opening her mouth, the girl spoke, her words coming out rushed, and jumbled.

Cocking her head, Elsa looked at her. "Unnskyld," she murmured, her face blushing as she realised she'd mistakenly reverted back to Norwegian. "Sorry."

She heard the girl let out a snicker, hastily Elsa packed her books up, exiting the seat. She brushed past the girl, noting how she made no attempt to move out of Elsa's way. Blushing, she made her way to an empty seat at the front of the room, ignoring the stares of her new classmates.

…**~X~**...

Jack watched as his history teacher, Mr Roberts assigned groups for the new project. Beside him Hans stood, translating his words into sign for Jack. Running his hand over the back of his neck, he watched, trying to ignore the sense of dread as Hans signed, letting him know the names of the students who he would be grouped with.

Slowly the students rose from their desks, moving to sit in their assigned groups. Jack picked up his books nervously taking a seat at the table. He couldn't help but notice the way the other students rolled their eyes as Hans took a seat across from Jack.

Jack cocked his head, watching as a brunette girl by the name of Vanessa spoke, her eyes focused on Hans. Jack frowned, watching as Hans spoke to Vanessa, simultaneously signing to Jack.

"Don't worry, Jack has paper and pen, you can write a message and Jack will respond, or you can speak to me and I will translate, just make sure that if you choose to have me translate, you give your eye contact to Jack as he is who you are interacting with." Hans said, smiling kindly at the girl.

Jack grinned, pulling out his pen and Harry Potter notepaper and placing it in the middle of the table. His eyes widened as a boy he'd seen hanging around Tyler took the paper, furiously scribbling a note and passing it to Jack.

Frowning, Jack took the paper, opening it as he glanced at the scrawled message. '_You better not screw this up for us freak.'_

Grabbing the note, Jack scrunched it into a ball and popped it into his pencil case. Looking up he could see Hans watching him, a small frown appearing on his face. "What is wrong" he signed, not bothering to speak the words. "What was on the note?"

"Nothing," Jack signed, his eyes glancing at the boy who sat glaring at him,

Hans looked unconvinced, but to Jack's relief he didn't press the issue, instead he leaned back in his chair, his hands working to translate Jack's words to his three teammates and vice versa. The group worked solidly for the duration of their lesson, their heads bent over their books.

Finally, his watch vibrated, alerting him to the end of the school day. Jack felt his spirits lift as he packed his belongings into his locker, pulling out the books he needed for his homework. Shutting his locker, he grinned, catching sight of Hans leaning casually against the wall.

"See you tomorrow, Jack," Hans signed. "We survived another Monday, the weekend's getting closer only 4 days to go."

Jack grinned, waving to Hans before making his way out the door. Taking a deep breath of air as the cool Autumn air hit him.

…..**~X~**...

Elsa frowned, slowly making her way along the halls of her new school. Her eyes darting around, looking for room 225 where her last class of the day was being held.

She'd been struggling all day. She found the teachers to speak clearly, but her classmates were a different story, they would speak in rushed voices, using slang and terminology she was unfamiliar with.

Eventually she found the classroom, letting herself in and finding a seat. Feeling her heart sink as she noticed the girl from her homeroom was in this class as well. She'd been forced to endure two other classes with the rude girl, finding that her earlier indiscretion of sitting in the wrong seat had earned her a place in the girl's bad books

"Look at her hair," the girl hissed, snorting loudly. "It's like some kind of freakish colour."

"It's blonde," Elsa replied, fidgeting with her ring. "Platinum blonde, and it's natural."

The girl leaned in closer, fixing her gaze on Elsa. "I don't care, it's weird, like you."

Elsa gulped, leaning back on her chair, lowering her eyes. Silently she willed the girl to leave her alone. She didn't want to be made a spectacle of, she wanted to fade into obscurity.

"Violet, get to your seat," ordered a man, coming to stand at the front of the room.

Elsa breathed a sigh of relief, watching as the girl, Violet, turned on her heels and stormed over to her desk, turning to shoot a glare at Elsa.

To her relief, the lesson passed quickly. The teacher had taken the role before making his way towards Elsa, introducing himself before handing over a copy of the current novel that the class was studying, taking care to mark the page where the class had read up to so that she could catch up in her own time.

Finally, the bell rang, alerting the students to the end of the school day. Scooping up her books, Elsa scurried out of the classroom, making her way towards her locker and pulling out the books needed for homework. Slamming the door shut as she hurried to meet Anna at their meeting place out the front of the school.

**A/N- So here we have Jack, and learn a bit about him. As the chapters go on we will learn a bit more about his life. As a student in a mainstream public school he is teamed up with a translator whose job it is to translate for him. **

**The vibrating watch I mentioned is an actual product. I researched a brand called 'vibraLite' vibrating watches in which you can program up to 12 alarms. The watch will then vibrate on the wearers wrist. In this story I will have Jack wear one with the alarm set to go off at the same time as the school bell for start/ end of the school day, as well as marking the beginning/ end of his lunch period. The watches look like any other watch you would see. If you google 'vibrating watches/ deaf' you can see links of a variety of watches which come in many styles and colours from a sports watch appearance to a dress watch.**

**Unnskyld= Sorry **


	3. Chapter 3

Taking a deep breath, Elsa crossed the road, slowly walking up the grounds towards Burgess High. She stole a glance at Anna who was humming a cheery tune, already excited for the new school week.

It had been four weeks since Elsa and Anna had started at their new American high school and their experiences couldn't have been more different.

Anna had quickly come to love her new school, Rachel, the girl who had been sent to show her around on her first day had invited her to join her and her friends at lunch and the two had become fast friends. Anna's classmates were seemingly fascinated with their new, foreign born classmate. Each night Anna would tell more stories about the kids in her class, how they would rush to her, eagerly practising their Norwegian which she had taught them.

Elsa, on the otherhand was struggling. Her simple mistake in choosing the wrong seat in her homeroom on her first day had only served to cement her as an outcast, with Violet apparently holding a great deal of influence over their fellow students. She remained largely ignored by her classmates, save for the times when Violet and her clique would throw pointed insults her way. Stopping to pick on everything from Elsa's accent, to her appearance.

"You'll be fine, Elsa," Anna said, picking up on her sisters mood. "You just need to give the kids in your class the chance to see how awesome you are."

"Easy for you to say," Elsa muttered. "Everyone loves you, I'm just the weird girl with the 'freaky' hair, skin and accent."

"Uh, El, hate to point it out but we have the same accent," Anna grinned, flinging her arm round her sister's shoulder.

"No, Anna, apparently we don't, your accent is 'cute', according to your classmates. My accent only serves to make me even more of a freak," Elsa protested, stepping out from her sister's grasp. "Not to mention the fact that I still make mistakes with a few of my words."

Elsa felt Anna pause, coming to a halt before turning to face her sister, furrowing her brows she opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by someone calling her name. Sighing, Elsa turned to watch as one of Anna's new friends came bounding down the path at an alarmingly fast speed, flinging her arms around Anna and shrieking with excitement.

"I'll see you later," Elsa said, turning to leave.

From behind her she thought she heard Anna call to her, but she kept walking. It wasn't fair to Anna, to burden her with her troubles. Anna was the one who had to spend the next three years in the school, it made sense that she was the one who was happy being there. Sighing, she shrugged, making a mental note to do her best to appear more positive in front of Anna in the future.

Slowly Elsa packed her bag into her locker, taking out the books she'd need and placing the contents of her bag on the shelf before making her way into her homeroom, sliding into her usual seat up the front of the room.

"Hey Vampire," sneered a voice. "Have a good weekend?"

Elsa rolled her eyes, turning to look at Violet and her small group of friends. Their laughter ringing in her ears as they congratulated their leader for her insult. She entertained the idea of throwing some sass back at Violet, but thought better of it, instead she just shrugged and turned her attention to the front of the room.

"Don't you know it's rude to ignore people?" Violet hissed, coming to stand in front of Elsa. "Or don't they teach manners in No-way?"

"It's Norway," Elsa replied, not bothering to look up.

"Whatever, I don't care. Do you like my new name for you? Vampire..get it, because you're pale, and freaky," Violet teased.

"I can tell you've put a lot of thought into it," Elsa answered, rolling her eyes. "You must be proud."

"Don't you dare try and sass me girl, I can make your life a living hell," Violet snapped, swiping Elsa's books off the table. "Did you catch all of that or am I speaking too fast for you freak?"

Elsa ignored her, carefully making her way out of her seat to retrieve her books. She could feel the eyes of her classmates on her, watching with curiosity. Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself to ignore them, to say nothing and hope that they would lose interest. Violet and her friends had quickly caught on to Elsa's lack of confidence in speaking English, finding it hilarious to speak in rushed, mumbled voices to Elsa, laughing as she struggled to keep up. It had become a sense of amusement to them, approaching Elsa, speaking fast, then laughing derisively, an added bonus if Elsa slipped back into her native Norwegian, with the bullying girls then taking to copying the foreign word, making no attempt to learn correct pronunciation.

…**~X~**...

Jack slumped in his seat, ignoring the pain he felt in his shoulder. He'd not even made it into the school when Tyler and his gang had struck, coming at him from behind and shoving him roughly against the wall, their bodies shaking as they laughed amongst themselves, tossing pieces of screwed up paper at him before running off.

"Hey," Hans interrupted, placing his hand down on Jack's desk. "You didn't say hello as you came in, is everything okay?"

Jack glanced at him, out of the corner of his eyes he saw one of Tyler's friends glaring at him. "Fine," Jack signed, offering a fake smile. "Just really tired, would rather be home sleeping."

Hans grinned. "You and me both," he replied.

Jack watched as Hans headed back to the front of the room where the teacher stood. Digging in his pocket he pulled out the pieces of paper Tyler and his gang had thrown at him, the insults reading loud and clear despite their messy handwriting, always the same, calling him a 'freak', telling him that he'd never amount to anything so he should just quit school and do them all a favour.

He felt his watch vibrate, telling him that school had started. Quickly he pushed the papers into his pockets, ignoring the curious look in Hans eyes. He knew that Hans worried about him, there had been a few times when he'd pulled Jack aside before school started to ask how things were, reminding Jack to speak out if he needed help or if anyone ever bothered him.

A tap on his shoulder broke him from his thoughts. "Are you sure everything is okay?" Hans asked, "What was on the paper?"

Jack nodded, his mind trying to come up with a good excuse, breathing a sigh of relief as the class stood to say the Pledge. He turned his head, ignoring Hans questioning glances.

Slowly the class was let out, gathering his books, Jack met with Hans as they made their way towards his first class. He felt a shove as the bullies brushed past him, smirking at him.

"You know, if you're having trouble with anything or anyone, you can talk to me? We could go together to tell someone," Hans signed, watching as Jack slid into the seat for his first class.

Jack sighed. "I'm fine," he replied. "Really."

He diverted his gaze, shutting down communication so Hans couldn't press the issue. He knew the young man had his suspicions, but Jack didn't want to risk telling him. The fear of what Tyler and his gang would do to him, if they knew he'd told his interpreter was too great.

…**~X~**...

Elsa scanned the cafeteria, looking for a place to sit. For most students lunch break was the highlight of her day, however for her it was hell, yet another reminder of the loneliness she felt.

All around her friends sat in groups, chatting happily. There were a few empty seats to be found at random tables but Elsa hated to take those spots, to her it felt like she was imposing on the other occupants. She'd done it a few times and had noticed the way the other students would huddle their chairs closer together, almost as if Elsa had nothing better than to eavesdrop on their conversations. She could feel the eyes of the student population on her, watching as she looked around, seeking a place to sit.

Out the corner of her eyes she saw Anna waving at her, she waved, offering her sister a warm smile before turning and heading out the open doors into the schoolyard. Anna had noticed her loneliness early on and had invited Elsa to sit with her and her friends many times. Each time Elsa had politefully declined, she didn't want to embarrass her sister by sitting with her, or risk the cruel taunts of Violet and her friends who would likely have a field day if they saw her sitting with her younger sibling. Not to mention the risk of drawing attention to Anna, and in doing so, leading Violet to bully her sister.

A few long strides across the grounds, and she had found a place to sit, coming to rest under a large tree, out of sight from the majority of students, but still within the school grounds. Lowering herself down, she pulled out her packed lunch and her book. Leaning her back against the tree stump as she thumbed through her favourite Harry Potter book, her mind travelling to a distant place, reading as Harry and his friends dealt with an escaped prisoner.

She sat in silence for a while, enjoying the solitude and the warm Autumn air. It wasn't until she felt the presence of another that she looked up. Slipping the bookmark between the pages, she looked up. Her eyes falling on a slim boy with tousled silver-white hair, he looked to be around her age, wearing black jeans and a blue hoodie. She could feel her anxiety rising, looking at the lopsided grin on the boys pale face as he pointed at her book.

"Harry Potter," he said giving her a thumbs up.

Elsa panicked, her eyes widening as she looked at the boy before her, watching as his grin dropped, his eyes looking around for something, or someone whilst he dug his hands into the pocket of his hoodie. Standing up, she grabbed her book and the remains of her lunch, holding them tightly to her chest. The boy was currently alone, but she couldn't help fear that he was yet another acquaintance of Violet's, sent to do her dirty work, to corner Elsa before she could arrive.

"Leave me alone," she cried, raising her hands in front of her as she backed away slowly.

…**~X~**...

Panicking, Jack looked around the crowded cafeteria, his eyes searching for Tyler and his friends. Out of the corner of his eye he saw them, their backs to him as they sat huddled around the table with Tyler's girlfriend Violet and her friends.

His eyes settled on the open doors, leading to the school yard, quickly he hurried across the crowded room, dodging the tables as he made his way through the doors and into the open air. Breathing a sigh of relief as he realised he'd managed to escape without Tyler and his gang noticing him.

Racing through the grounds, he reached his favourite hiding spot. A place on the edge of the school grounds, still within the boundaries, but largely ignored by the majority of students. It was Jack's hiding place, somewhere he could flee to at lunch, provided he managed to get out without Tyler and his cronies seeing him.

Slowing down, his eyes widened. There, in his favourite spot sat a girl, curled up against the tree, her platinum blonde hair tied in a ponytail. He couldn't help but notice that she was undeniably beautiful, but more intriguing was the book she was reading. The cover art and title were family, but the words underneath were foreign.

Furrowing his brows, he leaned in. 'Harry Potter og fangen fra Azkaban'. The cover and Azkaban gave it away as being 'Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban', Jack's favourite book amongst the series, the language however was new to him.

"Harry Potter," he said, grinning widely.

He watched as the girl raised her head, quickly closing her book and coming to stand as her eyes darted around her. He panicked, the thought of the girl being sent to lure him out crossed his mind. His Harry Potter obsession was well known amongst his classmates, half of his folders were decorated with Harry Potter book labels or stickers and he could often be found wearing his favourite Slytherin t-shirt, it was entirely possible that Tyler and his gang had found his safe place and had sent this girl out to lure him, using his own interests against him.

His grin faded as he realised he'd actually spoken out loud to her. Contrary to his fellow students beliefs, Jack was not mute, he was capable speaking, although low esteem meant that he very rarely used his voice whilst out in public. He'd discovered early on that his voice sounded different to hearing people, his Mum explained it to him saying that it was a side effect of being born Deaf, in order for him to vary the pitch and tone of his speaking voice, he would need to be able to hear it.

Digging in his pocket, he pulled out his notepad and paper, his heart racing as he struggled to scribble his message down on a piece of paper. Reaching out, his hand grasped the hand of the girl as he handed her the paper.

**A/N- So, here we have our duo meet each other. **

**I'd like to thank Zulka for providing some valuable insight into Deaf/ Hard of hearing, ASL and services in the USA. As whilst this is an entirely fictional story for enjoyment I am striving to show respect to the deaf community, and to me that means trying to keep it accurate, maybe bring a small bit of understanding. **


	4. Chapter 4

Elsa gasped, the panic rising as she felt the strange boy's hand grasp her own. Mentally preparing herself for the worst, she turned to face him, her eyes searching for the bullies that were no doubt hiding in the bushes.

Instead she found none, the boy dropped his grip on her hand, his eyes widening as he stepped back. Looking down, she noticed a piece of paper had fallen from her hand, bending down, she picked it up.

'_Please don't hurt me.' _ the note read.

Looking up, she noticed the way the boy was trembling slightly, she frowned, unsure as to why the boy thought she would hurt him, especially since she was wary of him, fearing that he was leading her to being hurt. Opening her mouth, she went to speak but was cut off, the boy stepping forward to tap at the paper.

Glancing at it she saw that he'd written a bit more. '_I can't help being born Deaf.'_

She glanced at the boy, looking closer she noticed the badge that was pinned on his hoodie. In her panicked state, she had failed to notice the small badge which announced the boy to be hearing impaired. Blushing, she motioned to the paper, mimicking the action of writing before smiling at the boy.

The boy nodded, digging in his pocket he pulled out a pen and notepad, handing it to her.

'_I won't hurt you. I'm sorry you thought I would. I thought you had been sent out here to hurt me.' _ she wrote, handing the paper back to the boy.

She watched as he read the note, a lopsided smile appearing on his face as he shook his head, pointing back to the tree he looked at her, tilting his head.

Slowly she lowered herself to sit against the tree, watching as the boy took a seat next to her, his hand moving over the paper as he scribbled another note.

'_I thought you were sent to lure me out by the bullies,' _he wrote. '_I come here to get away from them. People pick on me because I am profoundly Deaf. My interpreter doesn't spend lunch time with me and so it's easier for the bullies to get to me.'_

Elsa frowned, scribbling down a note. '_I came here to escape my bullies, I moved here a few weeks ago from Norway. I can read and write English, and speak it, but I'm not very confident. I make mistakes and people laugh, or they speak too fast on purpose and I struggle to keep up. I assumed that you had been sent by Violet and her gang.' _

She watched as the boy read her message before scribbling down a reply. '_Violet O'Toole in year 12?'_ he wrote. '_She's nasty, her boyfriend Tyler and his friends are the worst to me. They are who I am hiding from. I can talk, as you noticed, but I don't like to talk here because people will laugh at my accent. I was scared you were going to laugh at me, I just got excited when I saw the Harry Potter book- they are my favourite book series ever."_

Elsa grinned, shaking her head as she handed her book over to Jack, watching as he eagerly thumbed through it.

'_Norwegian version?' _ he wrote. '_By the way, book three is my favourite, I love Sirius Black.'_

Elsa nodded, taking the pen and paper from Jack. '_My name is Elsa, I know that boy ,Tyler, he's in one of my classes with Violet. To be honest, I hardly noticed your accent, I was too worried that Violet and her gang were going to step out and tease me. Also, I agree. The Prisoner of Azkaban is my favourite in the series too, especially when Harry finds out the truth about Sirius. Are you in year 12?'_

Jack nodded, taking the paper to scrawl down his reply. '_I am in year 12. My name's Jack. I only started at this school a few months ago. My dad left and Mum couldn't afford to continue sending me to my old school so she sent me here. My last school was better, it was for hearing and speech impaired people. No one teased me, I had good friends, but not here. Here all I have is Hans, my interpreter. Everyone else treats me differently. No one wants to know me, it's too much of a hassle for them to bother learning sign language for one student and one year of schooling. They can't be bothered to write notes like you are.'_

Elsa felt her heart break, she couldn't believe that people could be so mean. In the few short minutes she'd spent with Jack she'd found him to be interesting, the fact that he was a Potter-head made him even better, especially the fact that he shared the same opinion as she did for her favourite book in the series.

Taking the paper and pen, she scrawled down a note. '_I want to know you, you can come talk to me at lunch if you want. I don't have anyone else that I sit with, I don't mind writing notes, we're still talking, still getting to communicate.'_

Biting her lip, she handed the note back to Jack, she could feel her face blushing as he read it. Turning to face her, he smiled, he moved to write another note when the school bell rang, signalling the end of of lunch. She watched as his face fell, dropping the notepad as he fumbled with his beeping watch.

Getting to her feet she paused, waiting for Jack before walking with him towards the school. She felt him grip her arm as they made it to the doors leading to the corridor, she stopped, turning to watch as he scribbled another note.

'_I'd like that, meet you at the tree again tomorrow?' _he wrote.

Nodding, she smiled, watching as he gave her a shy thumbs up before turning and walking towards his locker.

…..**~X~**...

Jack couldn't help the slight spring in his step as he raced in the door to his family home, narrowly beating Emily, his younger sister by a few steps.

"No fair, your legs are longer than mine," she signed, panting as she struggled to catch her breath.

"I gave you a head start," he teased. "You could have beaten me if you'd not let yourself get distracted by the neighbours cat."

The younger girl pouted, brushing past him as she moved into the kitchen. Shrugging his shoulders, Jack followed her, holding open the fridge as she reached in and grabbed two cans of drink, handing him one before placing the other down on the bench.

"If you were a nice older brother you'd have let me win, I'm just a kid, Jack," she signed, placing her hands on her hips.

Jack laughed. "You're nine, you'll get over it," Jack signed. "Besides, I plan to kick your ass racing you home again tomorrow."

Jack felt a hand on his shoulder, turning he found himself face to face with his mum, the older woman smiling at him. "Jackson, Emily," she signed, her mouth moving to speak the words so that his sister could hear. "How was your day?"

Leaning back, Jack watched as his sister spoke with their mum. Her hands moving quickly as she signed the words she was saying, eagerly telling them how a boy at school had broken his arm falling off the jungle gym over the weekend and had come to class with a neon green cast which she'd gotten to sign.

He couldn't help but smile at the younger girl's enthusiasm, much as he loved to tease her, Jack had to admit as far as kid sister's went, Emily, was pretty perfect. In her short life she'd had to adapt to a lot, a home that was 'different', having to remember to both speak and sign whilst at home, the stares of strangers as they watched her and her brother in public. Jack knew that the younger girl had come to his defenses on more than one occasion, with the young girl being just as protective of him as he was of her.

"What about you, Jack?" his mum signed. "How was your day?"

Jack grinned. "I think I made a friend," he signed. "I went out to escape the cafeteria, to the tree I always go to and there was a girl, reading Harry Potter in a foreign language, so I spoke to her, I actually spoke, with my voice, Mum."

He watched his mum's face as he continued to recount the tale of how he'd stumbled upon Elsa, initially worrying that she would tease him upon hearing his speaking voice, only for her to react positively to him.

"Jackson," his mum signed, interrupting him. "If you were being bullied you would tell me wouldn't you?"

Jack paused, he knew that his mum worried about him, the transition from his previous school to a mainstream school was always going to be challenging. However, he couldn't tell her about the bullying, she had enough on her plate with his dad leaving, struggling to make ends meet financially, and raising two children, one of whom was Deaf. She didn't need to worry about him any more than she did, it was for that reason that he had been careful to not reveal too much about his experiences at his new school, all he'd told her was that the kids in his class left him alone unless necessary.

"Of course I would, Mum," he lied, bowing his head. "Everything is fine though, I'm getting good grades, Hans is nice, and Elsa, who I met today is nice and wants to talk with me."

…..**~X~**...

Elsa stood at the kitchen sink, her hands elbow deep in dishwater as she set about washing the dishes from dinner. Her parents had long since retired into the lounge room, the sound of the sitcom they were watching drifted through the house.

"So," Anna said, as she stood beside Elsa, tea towel in hand. "Where did you disappear to at lunch?"

Elsa sighed, turning to face her sister. "I went outside to read," she admitted.

"You could have sat with me and my friends, we don't mind, it'd be better than you eating lunch on your own," Anna offered, smiling.

"I know, and I appreciate that, but I don't mind being on my own," Elsa replied. "Besides, I met a guy today."

Elsa cringed, watching as Anna's face lit up, eagerly putting the dish she'd been drying down and turning Elsa around to face her. Elsa sighed, she should have chosen her words better, knowing that Anna would automatically assume there was some sort of romantic spark between her and Jack, her younger sister was prone to romantic whims, any and every guy had the potential to be 'Mr Right' in her mind.

"A guy? Really?" Anna shrieked, leaning in closer.

"No, it wasn't like that, Anna," she protested. "I was sitting by a tree when he came and spoke to me, said 'Harry Potter'. I kind of freaked out, thinking that he may have been sent by Violet or her gang to tease me so went to leave, but he stopped me, he handed me a note asking me to not hurt him."

"Wait, why would he think you would hurt him?" Anna broke in, tilting her head. "You're like the kindest person ever."

"Because he's Deaf, as in profoundly Deaf," Elsa explained. "He can speak, but can't hear, he just moved to the school a few months ago, has an interpreter but he gets bullied. People don't want to bother to learn sign language, or to use the notepad to communicate with him because they think it's too much effort for one year of schooling, it's a shame though, we only talked a bit but he's an interesting guy, got a lot to say, the guy who bullies him is Violet's boyfriend. Anyway, I got talking to him, well, we were writing notes back and forth. I'm going to meet him again tomorrow."

"Is he cute?" Anna asked, furrowing her brow. "Also I'm going to need more details like name, age, year level, you know the drill."

"Anna!" shrieked Elsa, her face heating up. "I only met him today, he's nice, in year 12 like me, and his name is Jack."

"You missed the most important question, Elsa, is he cute?" Anna teased. "Don't think I won't drag it out of you somehow."

Elsa sighed, turning her attention back to the dishes, barely managing to contain her smile as she listened to Anna grow more and more frustrated, dancing around her as she tried to find out whether Elsa thought Jack to be cute.

"Alright, I give up, I won't ask you if this Jack guy is cute," Anna said. "Although, I do think it sounds promising, it sounds like he's struggled with people who don't give him the time to listen to what he has to say, and I know that your confidence with English makes you quiet despite the fact that your English is no way near as bad as you think it is."

Elsa nodded, pulling the plug to let the water drain out of the sink. "It will be nice to have someone to talk to," she smiled.

"Yes, and I'll just have to stalk you to find out whether Jack is cute," Anna teased.

Turning on her heels, Elsa made her way to her room, her homework beckoning her. She couldn't help but feel a teensy bit more positive about going to school the following day, knowing that she'd found someone to talk to. After all, both her and Jack had their difficulties in the school, both felt silenced, like what they had to say was not important to the wider school community, yet as she'd discovered in only a matter of minutes, Jack had a lot to say, and she was only too happy to listen.


	5. Chapter 5

Jack glanced at his watch, eagerly counting down the minutes until lunch. It had been two weeks since Jack had first met Elsa, and the two had spent lunch together, sitting outside by the tree ever since. Having someone to talk to, a new friend had made the days slightly more bearable for him, even if he didn't share any classes with her.

Casting a glance around the room, his eyes fell on Hans, the older male was deep in conversation with the class teacher, with the teacher nodding his head in agreement at whatever was being said. Sighing, Jack redirected his attention to the math problem in front of him, carefully comparing his work with the example given in the textbook, ensuring that he had reached the correct answer.

Finally the bell rang, the vibrations on Jack's watch buzzing in time with the programmed alarm, alerting him to the start of the lunch period. Grinning, he slammed the book closed, hurriedly packing his books and stationery up. He waved to Hans, throwing the guy a wry smile before racing out the room and to his locker.

Pulling open the locker, he shoved the books in, resting them in a heap on the shelf before pulling out his packed lunch, notepad and pen, tucking them into his pocket and slamming the door shut.

Making his way towards the cafeteria, he spotted an increasingly familiar head of platinum blonde hair a few metres ahead. Picking up his pace, he weaved through the crowd of students to fall in line with Elsa, tapping her on the shoulder, watching as her expression changed from being startled, to a welcoming smile as she nodded her greeting, her own notepad and pen lay tucked under her arm along with her packed lunch.

Entering the cafeteria, he felt his heart sink, noticing the doors to the schoolyard remained shut whilst a heavy downpour of rain fell outside, restricting the two students to eating their lunch inside for the first time since they'd met each other. He watched as a small frown fell across Elsa's face, her eyes scanning the room looking for a place for them to sit.

Finding a spot, she tapped him on the shoulder, pointing towards a table at the farthest end of the cafeteria. His eyes scanned the room, breathing a small sigh of relief when he noticed that Tyler and his gang were at the opposite end of the cafeteria, deep in conversation, completely oblivious to Jack as he followed Elsa to the table, pulling out a chair as he took a seat beside her.

'_So, how's your day been so far?' _he wrote, shoving the pad towards Elsa.

He watched as she frowned, placing her partially eaten sandwich down to write her response. "_Okay, tired though. My sister kept me up last night, she kept blasting her One Direction album all night. I was this close to going in and breaking the damn CD."_

Jack chuckled, taking a sip of his water. "_Emily loves One Direction, she plays their album all the time. I'd probably be more annoyed with them if I could hear...lucky for me she doesn't bother to sign their songs," _Jack remarked.

"_Tease,"_ Elsa replied, pouting at him. "_Speaking of sisters, don't look now but here comes mine."_

Jack raised his head, his eyes falling on a slender girl making her way towards them, her strawberry blonde hair pulled back into a high ponytail. Smiling, she waved at them, stealing an empty chair from a nearby table and pulling it to sit next to Elsa.

Jack watched as the younger girl grabbed Elsa's notepad, tearing off a sheet of paper before taking the pen from her sister's hand, furiously scribbling down a note before leaning over Elsa to hand it the paper to Jack.

"_Hi, I'm Anna, Elsa's awesome younger sister. You're Jack right? She's told me about you. Says you are funny, sweet, cheeky, that you're same age as her and all that boring stuff. Anyway for some reason she's been reluctant to introduce you to me, probably because she refuses to answer me when I ask if you're cute, also don't let Elsa see this note, she'll kill me." _

Jack laughed, a faint blush tinting his cheeks as he read Anna's note. He could feel Elsa's eyes on him, leaning over as she tried to catch a peek at the note. Grinning, he watched as Elsa shot a pointed glare between him and her sister, shrugging, he handed the note over to her, watching as Anna shook her head.

He watched as Elsa's face blushed a deep red, screwing up the paper and tossing it at her sister, the younger girl leaning back on her chair, a wide grin on her face as she watched her sister grab her pen, leaning down to scribble another note.

"_Anna, I swear to God you are so dead. Your One Direction cd's are going in the bin as soon as we get home, Jack, ignore her." _ she wrote, showing the note to both Anna and Jack.

"_I told you not to tell!" _Anna wrote, poking her tongue out. "_Traitor! Still, at least now we know the answer to the question, pretty sure she'd not react like this if she didn't think that you're cute."_

Jack grinned, leaning back on his chair as he watched Elsa bury her head in her hands. Leaning over, he pulled her hands from her face, smirking as he beckoned to himself.

"_Cute huh?" _he wrote, sliding the paper towards her.

…..**~X~**...

Elsa could feel the heat rising in her cheeks, beside her Anna's laughter filled her ears, the younger girl clearly enjoying herself. On the opposite side of her sat Jack, leaning back in his chair, a cocky smirk on his face.

Grabbing for the paper, Elsa hastily scribbled a note, placing it in front of her where both Anna and Jack could read. "_Great job, Anna, you're going to pump up his already inflated ego."_

"_That hurts, Princess, you've gone from thinking I'm cute, to suggesting I have a big ego in a matter of minutes," _ Jack replied, clutching his chest in mock hurt.

Elsa groaned, rolling her eyes as she poked her tongue out at Jack, making a mental note to not allow Anna anywhere near Jack in the future. The younger girl had continued to pester Elsa, begging her to tell her whether Jack was cute, even going as far as stalking Jack on Elsa's, Facebook friend list, her efforts having been futile though with Jack's profile picture being a photo of a tiger and not himself.

"_Oh come on, Frost, you know you've got a big ego, don't even try and deny it." _she wrote, raising her eyebrow as she watched Jack read it.

"_Oh, this is good, you two are already acting like an old married couple," _Anna wrote, laughing.

Elsa watched as Jack furrowed his brow, his pen moving over his paper as he jotted down his response. "_Ego or not, you think I'm cute," _ he wrote, tossing the paper towards her.

Burying her head in her arms, Elsa let out a sigh. In the two weeks since her and Jack had met, she'd come to enjoy his company, finding him to be friendly, caring, intelligent, playful and with a cheeky sense of humour. She didn't know whether they were acquaintances or friends, but she couldn't deny that she had started to find school a little more tolerable since she'd come to meet Jack, having someone to talk with over the lunch break had helped her feel a little less lonely, and given her something to focus on.

"How cute," sneered an all too familiar voice.

Elsa felt her heart drop, raising her head to look at Violet, her hands on her hip as she looked down at the trio, beside her Elsa, heard Jack gulp. Her eyes fell to the papers containing their conversation left lying on the table, hastily she snatched for the notes, pulling them out of reach of Violet.

"What do you want?" she asked, biting her lip.

"Relax, No-way, I just wanted to come say hello. I've been wondering where you've been hiding, slumming it with little kids, and the deaf-boy are you?" Violet snorted. "Fitting, they always say that freaks attract freaks."

Elsa glanced at Jack who was frowning, his hands crossed in front of him as he looked at her. She couldn't help but feel grateful that he was at least unaware of the cruel taunts coming from Violet's mouth. She'd asked Jack a while ago if he had the ability to read lips and he'd said no.

"Hey," Anna interrupted, glaring at Violet. "You can't talk to my sister or Jack like that."

Biting her lip, Elsa turned to face Anna, reaching her hand out in the hopes of silencing her. She knew that Anna meant well, but she wasn't the one who had to go through classes with Violet, and she also had the benefit of a group of friends to back her up.

"Now that's cute," Violet chortled. "You have to get your kid sister to fight your battles, can't even stand up for yourself. I mean at least deaf-boy over here has the excuse that he can't hear me, but you..you're just pathetic."

Elsa glared at her, the anger she felt at knowing someone could be so cruel as to pick on another person for something they could not help. She glanced at Jack, giving him a weak smile.

"Leave us alone," she hissed. "We've done nothing to you, nothing to deserve this treatment."

She watched as Violet threw her head back, laughing derisively before turning to glare at her. "No, you haven't, but as I said to you, I just don't like you, and my boyfriend doesn't like Deaf-boy over there. You should have never left Norway, freak, you don't belong here, and neither does your stupid friend."

Elsa swallowed, she could feel the tears threatening to roll down her face, out of the corner of her eye she could see Anna, her face flushed as she glared at Violet. Getting to her feet, she faced Jack, blinking back the tears before she ran.

Behind her she could hear Anna call her name, she was vaguely aware of the stares of fellow students as she ran, ignoring the calls and the curious looks. The tears streaming down her face, blurring her vision. She found herself in the girls bathroom, pushing her way into an empty stall before taking a seat on the closed lid, her body shaking as she let the tears fall.

She could feel her phone buzzing as a message, followed by another one came through. Pulling it out, she looked at it, noticing one of the messages was from Jack, the other from Anna, both wanting to know if she was okay, and where she'd run off to. Ignoring them she slid the phone back into her pocket.

She couldn't help but snort as the insults crept into her head, noting the irony in the fact that cruel names Violet used on her were nothing compared to the names Elsa was currently calling herself. Silently she chided herself for running from her problem instead of facing up to it, and what's worse, she'd left Jack and Anna back there, with Violet. She shook her head, scolding herself for being so cruel as to leave her kid sister, and the only student to show her an ounce of kindness alone to face her tormentor.

.

The sound of the school bell rang, marking the end of lunch, slowly Elsa left her stall. Sniffling as she wiped her eyes. She made her way to the sink, bending down to splash some cold water over her face, stopping long enough to stare in the mirror, frowning as she took in her reflection.

Shaking her head she left the bathroom, her thoughts turned to Jack. No doubt he'd want nothing to do with her now that she'd proven herself to be nothing but a pathetic crybaby, incapable of facing up to her bully, and leaving him and her beloved sister alone.

…**~X~**...

Jack frowned, he may not be able to hear the words that were being said, nor could he read lips, but that didn't mean he wasn't aware of what was going on around him. A lifetime of being Deaf had meant that he'd learned to read body language quite well.

He'd watched as Elsa had frozen in fear when she'd become aware of Violet's presence at their table. Her eyes had darted from Violet to the papers containing their conversation which she'd quickly snatched out of the way, pocketing them before the tormentor could get to them. He'd noticed how she had shrunk back in her seat, striving to put distance between herself and Violet, still, despite her obvious fear and distress, Jack couldn't help but notice the way Elsa's eyes had flicked between him and her younger sister Anna out of concern.

Anna on the other hand had displayed more confidence, her face had flushed with anger as she glared at Violet, leaning forward she'd stared at the bully, not letting her gaze drop as she spoke. Her eyes had darted back to Elsa and Jack only once she'd closed her mouth. It had been obvious to Jack that whatever Violet had said about himself and Elsa wasn't sitting well with the younger girl, and she was not about to tolerate it.

Elsa had glanced briefly at Jack before turning to face her sister, her mouth open in horror as she waved her hand, reaching to grip at her sister's hand, a silent act to try and silence the bold young girl.

Whatever Anna had said had obviously amused Violet, a sneer appearing on her face as she'd leaned in to speak to Elsa, her gaze fixed on her. It appeared that whatever Violet had said had done it's job, pushing Elsa to her limit as she glanced at Jack, giving him a weak smile before turning to glare at her bully, her eyes fixed on Violet as she spoke in retaliation, her jaw clenched with anger.

Jack felt his heart sink, watching as Violet threw her head back, her body shaking with amusement as she got a response from Elsa, narrowing her eyes, she had glared at the blonde girl, stepping closer as she spoke.

To his dismay, the last comment had pushed Elsa too far. She'd turned to face him, blinking back the tears which had appeared in the corner of her eyes before getting to her feet and fleeing the room. Her notepad and pen left still laying on the table.

He watched in horror as a wide smile had appeared on Violet's face, watching in glee as Elsa had fled. Anna had quickly gotten to her feet, shuffling over to take Elsa's spot next to Jack, offering him a weak smile before turning to glare at Violet, waving her hands around as she spoke, dismissing Violet with a wave of her hand.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he watched as Violet stalked back to her table. Leaving Jack and Anna in peace, bending down, Anna grabbed the paper and pen, scribbling a note. "_She's a bitch, sorry we didn't keep you informed. She was saying really nasty, hateful stuff. I just wish my sister would stick up for herself a bit more, neither her nor you deserve to put up with the shit that girl was saying, are you okay?"_

Jack nodded, grabbing his pen and paper. "_Yeah, I could tell. I can't read lips, but I've learnt to pick up on body language quite a bit. I'm fine, just worried for Elsa. I'm going to text her to see if she's okay, she was in tears when she left."_

Pulling out his phone, Jack sent a quick text to Elsa, looking at Anna, he noticed that she had decided to follow suit. He slid the phone back in his pocket, ensuring that he'd left it on vibrate so that he could feel if a text message came through_. _

To his relief, Anna stayed behind for the remainder of the lunch period, swapping notes with him, checking that he was okay, and reassuring him that Elsa would be fine.

…**~X~**...

Elsa sighed, pulling out her school bag from her locker as she packed her homework into it, grateful for the end of a disastrous day.

To her relief the last two classes of the day were both ones without Violet, leaving her to face the girl only when she returned to her homeroom. Luckily Elsa had decided to sit close to the homeroom teacher, taking her time to depart the room, ensuring that Violet had long since gone when she finally emerged from the room.

Slinging her bag over her shoulder she headed for the school's front entrance. Her eyes fell on Anna who stood waiting patiently for her a few feet from the doors, to her left stood Jack, his eyes lighting up as he looked at her.

Blushing, she waved, the guilt of leaving the two of them to fend for themselves earlier still playing on her mind. Swinging her bag around, she reached for her pad and a pen.

"_Sorry about before, are you okay?" _she wrote, showing the paper to Jack.

Jack nodded, taking the pen and paper from her. "_I'm fine, Anna hung out with me for the last few minutes, I was just worried about you. Violet left not long after you did, she's such a bitch."_

Elsa gulped, shooting a smile at her sister, grateful that she had at least stayed behind with Jack and had kept him company. The thought of Violet staying behind to torment Jack and Anna, or calling for back up had plagued Elsa for the remainder of the day.

"_The rain won't give up, Anna said that you guys are meant to be walking home. Stay here, I'm just waiting for Mum to get here, she's picking up my sister from school first. We'll give you a lift home." _ Jack wrote, handing the paper back to her.

"I've already said that we'll take the lift, Mum can't get us, she's caught up waiting for an appointment, " Anna said, carefully balancing the notepad on her bag as she scribbled down the words she'd said for Jack to read.

Elsa nodded, shifting on her feet as she watched Jack pull his phone out. Grinning, he grabbed the paper and pen. "_Mum's just out the front, follow me," _he wrote, handing the pen and paper back to Elsa.

Together the trio made their way out the doors, Jack leading them towards a grey station wagon waiting just out front of the school. Making his way to the back, he flung open the door, signing to the petite brunette woman behind the wheel before stepping back.

"Hi, you must be Elsa and Anna," the woman said, her hands continuing to sign. "I'm Caroline, Jack's, mum. My son has said we're giving you a lift home, Anna, if you want to take the front seat and, Elsa, you and Jack can squeeze in the back with my daughter, Emily."

Elsa nodded, watching as Jack opened the door for her before running to the other side. Carefully she slid in, smiling at the small brunette girl in the middle of the seat.

"Are you Jack's girlfriend?" the girl asked, signing the words as she spoke

Elsa felt the heat rushing to her face, she heard Anna let out a loud guffaw from the front seat. Looking at Jack, she noticed that he, too had a faint blush on his face, as his hands moved to sign.

"I'm Jack's friend, and I'm a girl," Elsa said. "But no, I'm not his girlfriend."

She watched as the young girl moved her hands, signing her response to Jack who shook his head and signed back at her before reaching to tousle her hair.

"Jack said not to embarrass him," the girl explained. "He's going to get mad at me for this, but I think you're pretty and you should totally date my brother, he needs a girlfriend."

"Oh I like her," Anna chuckled, turning in her seat to face the trio.

Elsa buried her head in her hands, she could hear the sound of Mrs Frost's gentle laughter fill the car.

"Emily, remember the rules, you must always sign what you have to say so that Jack is included, even when you want to say stuff to embarrass him," she chided.

The sound of a text message coming through on her phone interrupted her, reaching in her pocket, Elsa pulled the small phone out, swiping across to read the message:

Jack: "_Want another sister? I'll gladly give you mine."_

Elsa grinned, glancing at Anna who was deep in conversation with Mrs Frost, giving the older woman their home address.

Elsa: "_I'll trade sisters if you want. Anna's already decided she likes yours, must be some unwritten rule of being the younger sibling that you can try and embarrass your older sibling. _

J: "_Worst thing is, she knows that no matter what she says, she can get away with it because at the end of the day I still love the little munchkin."_

E: "_Same with Anna, I tell you, being the older sibling is a curse at times."_

Elsa laughed, smiling at Jack as she slid the phone back into her pocket. Watching as Jack leaned over to ruffle his sisters hair.

She watched as her house pulled into view. Bending down she grabbed her bag as Mrs Frost carefully eased the car to a stop, turning to smile at Jack, she watched as he opened his door, darting around to open the door for her and Anna before leaning in, his hands moving quickly as he signed to his mum.

"Nice to meet you, Elsa, and Anna," Mrs Frost called. "Elsa, Jack has just asked me if you could come visit on the weekend? Something about a movie marathon."

Elsa blushed, looking at Jack who had turned to face her, a shy smile on his face. "Oh, uh, sure. I'll have to ask my parents but I'm pretty sure they'll be fine with it. I'll text Jack or send a message on Facebook later this evening with my answer," she replied, watching as Mrs Frost signed her response to Jack.

"Great dear," Mrs Frost smiled. "Well, I'll wait for your answer, until then, I'm sure we'll meet again, now go on inside and get out of this rain before you catch a cold."

Elsa nodded, waving to Jack before stepping under the shelter of the porch.

"He's cute," Anna said, resting her elbow on Elsa's shoulder. "You so like him."

Elsa turned to look at her, rolling her eyes as Anna flung open the front door, darting inside, the sound of her laughter filling the empty house.

"Don't try and deny it, Elsa," she sang. "You like Jack, and Jack definitely likes you. I know it, his sister knows it. It's just you two knuckleheads who seem to not know it yet, but don't worry. When you two come to realise what is blindingly obvious to me and Emily then you can thank us."

Elsa groaned, shaking her head as she made her way up the stairs, suddenly the idea of trading sisters with Jack was sounding far more appealing.

**A/N- Thank you all for your reviews and continued support. **


	6. Chapter 6

Jack raced around the house, carefully tidying his room and the lounge room. Making an effort to remove anything which could leave him embarrassed in front of Elsa.

His hand lingered on a photo of him, aged 7, sitting on Santa's lap at his old school's Christmas fete. In his hand lay the man's fake snowy beard after his natural curiosity had gotten the better of him. He chuckled, remembering the reactions of the children waiting in line who had turned to face their parents, the shock realisation that fast 'Santa' was in actual fact their gym teacher, Mr Macklin.

He felt a tap on his shoulder, turning he faced his mum. "You do realise I was the outcast at the mother's group for an entire month because of that stunt?!" she signed, a grin on her face. "All those parents having to think fast, still, it was my fault. I was too busy trying to remember all the toys you were asking for that I didn't notice your hand moving for his beard."

"I got in so much trouble for that," Jack signed, pouting. "I didn't even get dessert that night."

"Be grateful that's all you got, your father wanted to take away your Nintendo..although I think that was more to do with the fact that he wanted to play it, than actual punishment," his mum replied.

Jack frowned at the mention, his father had only been gone a little over a year, but it felt like a lifetime with the way their lives had changed. He looked at his 7 year old self, surrounded by a community where hearing and speech impairments were the norm, a kid whose parents were still together, happily in love. No idea of the way his life would change in only a few years.

He recalled the day his mum had told him and Emily about their father leaving, tears had streamed down her face. His maternal grandparents had visited that very evening, his grandfather walking into their house, telling his daughter that she'd need to find another man, as Jack being Deaf, could never truly step up to be the 'man of the house'. Jack had watched as his mum's face had changed from one of sadness to anger, grabbing the half empty coffee cup from his grandfather and telling him to leave.

Jack had stood there, in shock. He knew his grandfather had said something to upset his mum, but what had been said, he didn't know, the older man had failed to sign, instead he'd had to rely on his sister who had been sitting beside their mother to tell him what had been said.

He had fled to his room in anger, burying himself under the covers. His mum had come to him shortly afterwards. Turning Jack to face her as she'd pulled him into a hug, letting him go only to tell him that he was, and always will be capable of anything he puts his mind to.

From that day onwards, Jack had striven to prove his grandfather wrong. He knew that his life would always be slightly different, he couldn't hear, and his home would always require slight modifications. However, he was still capable of doing great things. Jack threw himself into his studies, seeing to it that he achieved good grades, with the goal to make it into a good university and work his way towards a good job. He also began to step up around the house, allowing his uncle to teach him simple household maintenance chores.

Jack felt a poke on his shoulder, looking up, he saw his mum smiling. "You got caught in your own little world for a minute there," she signed. "Everything okay?"

He smiled, "Yeah, just memories, Mum."

"Alright, well it's time to get going, we still need to do a grocery shop before picking up Elsa," his mum said, gripping his shoulder.

….**~X~**...

Elsa reached into her overnight bag, making sure that she had everything packed for the weekend.

She had only just approached her parents about visiting Jack's house when his mum had called. Apparently Jack was intending to spend their time engaged in a movie marathon and had wanted to know if Elsa could spend the night.

After a bit of persuasion, and the firm promise that Jack's mother would be home all weekend, where they would be camped out in the lounge room with the doors open, her parents had agreed. Not before her father had insisted on her showing him the pyjama's she planned to wear, putting his foot down at the sight of her normal spaghetti strap singlet top and insisting on an old crew neck t-shirt.

Reaching over she packed in her notepad and pens, sliding them to rest alongside the selection of DVDs which she had selected to take with her.

"Elsa, your 'not-boyfriend' is here," Anna sang, poking her into Elsa's room, a wide grin on her face. "It's time for your sleepover at Ja-acks."

Elsa glared at her, picking up the plush toy that sat on her bed and flinging it towards the younger girl, laughing as it hit her on the shoulder.

"He's not my boyfriend," she protested, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "We're friends, that's all, friends."

"No, but you are spending the night at his house, and you do like him, I know you like him," Anna teased, following Elsa down the stairs.

Elsa raced down the stairs, smiling bashfully as she caught sight of Jack with his mum and sister, his mother deep in conversation with her own parents.

"Elsa, guess what? Mum is making us spaghetti bolognaise for dinner," Emily shrieked. "Also, we just went to the store and got all sorts of yummy foods and soda."

Elsa smiled, looking over at Jack as he pulled out his phone. Typing a message down on the note application and showing it to her. '_She's a bit excited, word of the wise, don't let her have too much candy or soda, she gets hyper.'_

Elsa laughed, taking the phone from him as she typed her reply. '_Anna's exactly the same. You think she's hyper now? You should see her after she's had sugar.'_

Mrs Frost cleared her throat. "We'd better get going, I've got groceries in the car," she explained.

Elsa handed her pillow to Jack, as she followed him, his mother and sister out to their car.

She watched as Mrs Frost climbed behind the wheel of the car, with Emily scooting into the back seat. Pausing she looked at Jack who stood beside her, suddenly unsure of where she could sit in order to chat with Jack.

"Take the front seat dear, Jack can sit in the back," Mrs Frost called, smiling at her. "Jack can use his voice, and Emily is in the back and will sign what you or I say."

Elsa nodded, sliding into the passenger seat whilst Jack took the seat in the back. She raised her hand to wave at her parents as Mrs Frost put the car into reverse, her eyes fell on Anna who stood, hand on hip and a wide smirk on her face as she waved them off. Rolling her eyes, she poked her tongue out at her sister before turning to face Mrs Frost.

"Forgive me for asking," she spoke, her eyes turning to watch Emily as she signed for Jack. "I was just wondering how you normally have car rides so you can talk to Jack? I'm sorry if that is an inappropriate question."

Biting her lip, she looked back at Jack, his eyes focused on his sister as she signed, looking up at her he caught her gaze and grinned, giving her a thumbs up.

"No, that's perfectly fine dear and call me, Caroline," Mrs Frost began. "Normally on short rides around town Jack will sit in the front. If I need to talk to him then I will poke him and he turns to watch Emily so she can sign for me. He then normally uses his voice to talk to me, or he'll sometimes sign back to Emily who translates whilst I keep my eyes on the road. If we're going on longer car rides then both him and Emily sit in the back where she can translate for me. The only rule we have in our house is that whenever Jack is in the room he must be included, which means we either sign, or write down whatever is being spoken, you have probably noticed by now that one of us is always signing to him. "

Elsa nodded, turning to face Jack who was locked in a heated conversation with his sister. Their hands moving fast as he pulled faces at her. Looking up he caught her eye, a slight blush appearing on his cheeks as he smiled.

"Sorry Elsa, Jack was just saying how be...oomph," Emily began, her her eyes lighting up before Jack clamped his hand over her mouth, throwing an apologetic look at Elsa.

Elsa grinned, turning her attention to the modest single story home as Mrs Frost pulled the car to a halt in the driveway.

…..**~X~**...

Jack watched as Elsa stepped out the car, her eyes glancing at his home before turning to face him. "Welcome to my home," he spoke.

He watched as Elsa smiled at him, nodding at the sound of his voice as she followed him to the back of the car. He grabbed her overnight bag and pillow as well as a bag of groceries and carted them towards the front door, waiting patiently as his mum fumbled to open the door.

Stepping inside, he led Elsa towards the lounge room where the air mattresses had been positioned, already set up for their movie marathon. Placing her bag and pillow down he returned outside, helping his mum, sister and Elsa to bring in the last of the groceries.

Once inside he grabbed the iPad, switching it on and clicking open the notepad application. Handing it to Elsa. "Saves writing," he explained. "If you don't mind my voice I can speak and you can type."

Elsa shook her head, her long platinum blonde hair obstructing her face as she typed on the iPad. '_I don't mind,'_ she replied. '_It's nice to hear your voice.'_

He blushed, reaching his hand round to scratch at the back of his neck. "Come on, I'll show you around," he said, gesturing to the house.

Blushing, he led Elsa around their modest home. The single story home was considerably smaller than the two story home he'd been raised in prior to his father leaving. They had had to downsize, selling their previous house and a great deal of their furniture upon moving, the money raised going into an account to cover unexpected bills.

If Elsa was surprised by the size of his home compared to her own she didn't show it, she smiled bashfully as he pointed out the toilet, bathroom and the kitchen before leading her towards his room.

Her eyes lit up as she saw his small room, complete with a double bed, bedside table, desk, wardrobe and a small TV with his old games console. Resting the iPad on her knee she typed out a message.

"_You like video games as well?' _she wrote, smiling.

Jack nodded. "I love them, do you play?"

Elsa blushed, bending her head down. '_I do. I love car racing games, and the Grand Theft Auto series.' _

Jack grinned, tugging her towards his console as he pulled out his collection of games. "I'll challenge you to a race later," he said, smirking.

A flash of brown hair brushed past him, turning he watched, grinning as his sister collapsed on his bed, bouncing around in a hive of energy. Reaching over he put his hands on his sister's shoulders, settling her.

"Don't bounce on my bed," he chided, wagging his finger. "Or else I will bounce on yours and break it."

Poking her tongue out, Emily looked at him. "Mum said to tell you if you're going to have Elsa in your room that you have to keep the door open," she shrieked. "She doesn't trust you to not do any gross stuff like kissing."

Jack felt his cheeks heating up. Coughing, he turned his head, noticing that Elsa's face had turned a deep shade of red as she too bowed her head. Smirking he picked his sister up, throwing her over his shoulders as he carried her into her own room, carefully placing her down on her own bed.

"Stay," he ordered, wagging his finger at her.

Turning on his heels, he led Elsa away, leading her towards the back door which opened out to a small but neat backyard, complete with his and Emily's bikes, and an aging swing set which his sister had refused to allow their mum to throw out, despite the fact she rarely used it anymore.

He watched as a frown crossed Elsa's face as she typed a message on the iPad. '_I hope it's okay to ask but how do you know if someone is at the doorbell?' _she wrote.

Jack shook his head, gesturing for her to come with him to the front door. Opening the door he pointed out the small sign placed under the doorbell, notifying callers to the fact that a hearing impaired person resides in the house and to please ring the special doorbell.

He felt a tap on his shoulder as his mum turned to face him. "I'll help," she signed, smiling.

Stepping outside she pressed the doorbell. Allowing for Jack to show Elsa how the receiver which was currently resting on the mount on the wall flashed a bright light for a series of reps whilst a chime sounded loudly.

"I can move the receiver if I'm home alone, or if we're in backyard. Most times though, Mum or Emily hear it and let me know someone's here, if we're in the same room, like the kitchen or lounge room then the receiver is in there with us all," he explained, blushing.

He watched as Elsa nodded, flashing a shy smile at him and his mum.

"Jack, show Elsa the rest of the modifications," his mum signed, speaking the words.

Jack frowned, shaking his head. "What if she laughs?" he signed.

His mum sighed, pulling him aside. "Jackson," she signed. "She won't laugh, I can tell. She's a nice girl, she's curious to learn more because you are her friend. You're already trusting her to hear your spoken voice, give her the chance to learn more about you."

Jack nodded, turning back to face Elsa who stood, biting her lip as she watched him and his mum sign back and forth.

"Come," he said, beckoning her. "I'll show you some more things."

…..**~X~**...

Elsa felt a tap on her shoulder, turning she found herself face to face with Mrs Frost.

"Sorry about before," she whispered. "You have to understand things have been tough for Jack since my marriage breakdown. He has not had it easy at his new school, but he refuses to tell me anything, he's a bit shy about showing you the modifications, worried that you will laugh."

Elsa frowned, casting her eyes towards Jack who was locked in conversation with his sister.

"No, I could never laugh at him, I'm sorry, I shouldn't ask, it's just wanting to know more, to further understand. He's my friend and I care about him," she whispered.

Caroline smiled, lightly squeezing her shoulder. "I know dear, and it's good that you are asking. Showing that you care enough to take an interest," she said. "He feels comfortable with you, I can tell, if he didn't then he'd not be so willing to actually speak around you."

Elsa blushed, turning her head back to face Jack, smiling as he playfully shoved his sister.

As if on cue he stopped what he was doing, coming to stand by her side. "Mum," he whined, "I can't show Elsa anything if you and Emily interrupt us."

Elsa chuckled, watching as Mrs Frost leaned back. "Well, I know when I'm not wanted," she said. "Come on, Emily, you can help me start to prepare for dinner."

Smiling, Elsa stood to the side, watching as the younger girl skipped past her and Jack.

Making her way into Jack's room she found him holding up an ordinary looking alarm clock. "Alarm," he said.

She nodded, watching as he lifted the mattress, pulling out a round device of some sort which was connected via a thin cord to the alarm clock.

"Vibrating pad," he explained. "Alarm goes off and it shakes my bed, here, you try."

Blinking she looked at him, watching as he put the small pad back under the mattress before turning to fumble with the alarm. Stepping aside he looked at her, gesturing to the bed. "Lie down," he ordered.

She nodded, placing the iPad on the desk before tentatively lying on his bed. She waited, watching as Jack turned his attention to the alarm. Stepping back, his blue eyes fixed on her. Moments later a loud sound could be heard as the alarm rang, instantly she felt the bed shaking as the pad vibrated from under the mattress. Her eyes widened as she bolted up, hopping off the bed and moving to stand next to Jack.

"Fun huh?" he said, grinning. "On school days I place the pad under my pillow just to be sure I don't sleep through it."

Grinning, she reached over, grabbing the iPad. '_That was kind of fun,' _she wrote, showing it to Jack.

Jack placed his hand on her forearm. Blinking she looked at him, following his gaze as he pointed to a smoke alarm with a strobe light positioned above his bed. "Fire alarm," he pointed out. "Makes a sound which Mum and Emily hear, and has a really bright light that flashes for me. We have these located in the kitchen, hallway, lounge and my bedroom."

Elsa watched as he reached under his pillow to pull out yet another pad. "Vibrating smoke alarm," he explained, pointing to a receiver that resembled a modem. "This one was real expensive but Mum is paranoid, said she can't rely entirely on the flashing lights. If the alarm goes off it will shake the pillow."

Elsa nodded, saying a silent prayer that the fire alarms would never have to be put to use. The thought of a fire breaking out was scary at the best of times, she couldn't begin to imagine the worry Mrs Frost must have knowing that one of her children can not hear the alarm.

She felt Jack gently grip at the iPad, taking it from her. '_You okay?' _he wrote.

She nodded. '_Just thinking, hoping you never have to use the fire alarms,' _she replied. '_Hey, why did you you stop talking just then?'_

Jack grinned, his mouth curling into his familiar lopsided smirk. "Can't have you getting too used to my voice, I need to keep some sort of allure, you know, so you continue to think I'm cute," he teased.

Elsa groaned, standing in front of him as she rolled her eyes, taking the iPad back from him. '_I never said you were cute, that was you and Anna ganging up and putting words in my mouth,' _she pointed out.

Stifling a laugh, she watched as Jack leaned back, placing his hand over his heart in a mock overly dramatic display.

'_How do you make phone calls?' _ she typed, handing the iPad to Jack.

Jack grinned, tugging her towards the lounge room. "For family and friends I mostly use skype, can type or sign on it, or I use text messaging," he explained. "If I need to call I can use a video relay service."

Elsa paused, tilting her head. She watched as Jack grinned, leading her towards a PC in the kitchen with a web camera. "I use this computer, we have a connection, with a company. I boot up the computer, select the button to drag up the voice relay service."

Her eyes passed to the computer where Jack had loaded up an application with a small screen, and a number pad along with a call pad. Looking at him, she listened as he explained how he was able to type in a number which would call, all the while an interpreter would appear on screen for him to sign to. The interpreter would then relay what he was saying to the person on the phone and vice versa.

"I hardly use the voice relay service, but it comes in handy if I have to ring mum at work or ring a business," Jack explained. " We also have a text phone."

Elsa turned around to find a landline phone with a series of small L.E.D lights down the bottom and a screen attached just above the console.

"I hardly use this," Jack said, pointing to the phone. "Works like a normal phone, but by pressing a button it connects to a text to talk operator who then converts what the person on the other side is saying into text so I can read."

"Jack hardly uses that," his mum said, interrupting them. "It's mostly for mine and Emily's use. We just like to ensure that Jack can use it if he chooses to."

…..**~X~**...

Jack sat, his eyes wide watching as his mum and Elsa engaged in a heated conversation. Carefully he loaded the last of his mum's homemade spaghetti bolognaise into his mouth, watching as his mum signed the conversation to him.

Beside him Elsa scribbled on a piece of paper, writing down what she was saying so he could keep up.

"I want to read," Emily cried, pouting.

Jack shook his head, pulling the paper away from his sisters prying eyes. "You can hear what Elsa is saying," he pointed out. "Plus you can hear what mum is saying as well as read sign language, don't be nosy."

"Have you told Elsa she's your girlfriend yet?" Emily grinned, signing at him.

Jack felt the familiar rush of heat to his cheeks. "She's just a friend, Em," he signed.

He felt a soft kick to his ankle, turning he faced his mum. "I apologise, Elsa," she began, her hands moving to sign. "My children normally obey the rules to make sure that everyone, be they hearing or non-hearing is included in conversation, however, it seems my youngest is determined to embarrass her brother about the status of your friendship."

Jack groaned, pushing his empty plate out the way before burying his head in his arms. Shifting his head he noticed the faint traces of a blush creeping over Elsa's pale cheeks. Her hand reaching to write a reply.

"My sister is the same," she replied, passing the note to Jack. "It's part of being the youngest I think."

"You know, Elsa, if you would like we can teach you some sign language," his mum spoke, smiling

Jack's eyes widened as he turned to face Elsa, awaiting her reply. '_You would do that?' _she replied, her eyes flitting between Jack and his mum.

Jack nodded. "Mum and I can teach you, that is, if you would like," he said, blushing.

"That's right dear, I've got all the books I used to learn and to teach Emily," Caroline said. "We could make a start tomorrow morning before I drop you home again, though it all depends on when you two wake up."

Jack turned to face Elsa, noting as she bit her lip. A small smile creeping over her face before she nodded, carefully placing her empty plate to her side before writing a note.

'_I'd love to learn to sign with you,' _ she replied.

Jack grinned, pushing his chair back as he cleared the empty plates from the kitchen table, laying them into the sink to soak. Turning around he watched as his mum spoke with Elsa, having positioned her chair so that she was sitting beside Elsa, both women facing Jack, ensuring that he could be included in their conversation.

Reaching into the fridge he pulled out two cans of soft drink before making his way to Elsa, beckoning her to follow him into the lounge room. Opening the cupboard he showed her their collection of DVDs, inviting her to select one to watch.

….**~X~**...

Elsa settled on the couch, pulling the blanket over her lap. Blushing as Jack turned to face her, taking in her pyjamas with her Team Norway hockey t-shirt.

He'd suggested they change into their pyjamas for comfort after the first Harry Potter movie had finished, racing up to his room and promptly changing into his own Batman pyjama pants and t-shirt.

Despite the wide range of DVDs to choose from the two had settled on having a Harry Potter marathon. Although Elsa had teased Jack with the threat to watch his sister's Barbie movie, claiming that as a guest she had the power to make that choice.

Flicking on a lamp, he'd settled on the other side of the couch. The newly re-charged iPad balanced on the coffee table alongside the bowl of potato chips and soft drink cans.

Jack had been quick to point out to Elsa that he relied on the subtitles or closed captioning when watching TV/ movies, so unless it's a movie he's familiar with, the best way to speak with him when watching a movie was to pause the movie, or pass the iPad over, giving him the time to respond without missing out on any important dialogue.

Elsa gasped, the sudden feeling of a cold can pressed against her cheek startling her. Turning, she noticed Jack, a wry grin on his face. She frowned, climbing off the couch and heading into the kitchen, pulling open the freezer as she found an ice tray.

Holding her hands behind her back, she made her way into the lounge room, smiling sweetly at Jack who sat focused on her, his eyes watching her every move. Smirking she moved to stand behind him, reaching to pull at the back of his shirt and releasing the cubes of ice down his back.

"You play dirty," he hissed, jumping as the cold ice came in contact with his back.

Grinning, she grabbed the iPad, clicking onto the notepad application. '_You started it. I just finished it,' _she quipped, giggling.

…**.~X~...**

Jack blinked, raising his head as the sunlight streamed into the lounge room. Looking at the clock he noticed it was 11am.

Somehow he'd fallen asleep during the sixth movie. Elsa had crashed during the fifth movie, he had turned down the volume on the TV before pulling out another blanket, placing it over her small frame.

Looking over he noticed that the mattress Elsa had been lying on was empty and the blankets neatly stacked at the end of the couch.

Stretching, he got up, making his way into the kitchen where he found Elsa dressed and sitting at the table, deep in conversation with his mum. Their heads bent over a beginners' sign language book.

"Starting without me?" he spoke, watching as they gasped, turning to face him.

"Good morning," Elsa signed, blushing as she looked at him.

He grinned. "Good morning," he replied, signing and speaking. "You did that perfectly, good start."

Pulling out a bowl he helped himself to cereal. His eyes flicking to Elsa, noting the smile which appeared on her face as she watched him before turning her attention to the iPad.

'_Your mum's lending me the books, I'm also going to make some print outs when I get home so I can keep it on me and practise, that is, if you've got the patience to put up with me.' _ she typed, smiling bashfully at him.

Jack nodded, taking a seat beside her. "Of course I can put up with you, You're my friend," he replied.

…**~X~**...

Elsa sighed as she tucked herself into bed.

Jack's mum had dropped her home not long after lunch time, giving her time to enjoy the remainder of the day with her family as well as reading through the books on ASL which Mrs Frost had kindly lent her, marking the pages with the various diagrams for finger spelling and the commonly used signs before scanning them onto her computer.

To her delight her father had come in and enquired about what she was doing. When she had explained that she was learning sign to help her communicate with Jack he'd nodded, his eyes flicking to the book which Mrs Frost had lent her before leaving the room.

He had returned a short while later, telling her that after talking with her mother, they had decided to purchase a copy of the book for Elsa if she wanted. Claiming that the book wasn't too expensive, and they were happy to order it, so long as Elsa was serious about learning to sign.

Happily she'd hugged him, wrapping her arms around him as she thanked him. She'd then proceeded to log onto her Facebook to send a quick message to Jack, asking him for permission to borrow his book until her own copy arrived.

Closing her eyes, she couldn't help but think back to the weekend. She couldn't help but feel like it marked the beginning of something positive, not only was she certain that her and Jack were definitely friends, but she was eager to learn to sign to further communicate with him, grateful for the kindness and willingness of the Frost family to help teach her.

Most telling was the fact that she no longer felt the familiar panic at the fact that the weekend was over. Violet and her clique may be out to make the remainder of her school year hell, but it was no longer going to feel as lonely now that she had a friend.

**A/N- Thank you all for your reviews, reading and your support. As I have stated before I am not deaf or hard of hearing. Therefore all that I am writing is a result of my research, and help from some kind people. All efforts are being made to be accurate, and fair.**

**On a separate note a restaurant has just opened in Yonge Street, downtown Toronto, ON, Canada. The restaurant is called 'Signs' and all wait staff are members of the deaf community. The customers can read the menu and see the signs needed to communicate with the waiters (or worst case scenario I'm guessing that they can just point at the menu item and/ or write a note. The restaurant has a fan page on FB (search Signs Restaurant) . If you are in/ or near Toronto then be sure to check them out/ support them.**

**I'll list the products which have served as inspiration for the Deaf/ Hard of Hearing products which make up Jack's home. **

**The Doorbell- I've used the A231 Libra flashing door chime brand. **

**Jack's alarm clock- I used the Sonic Alert Sonic Boom SB300ss**

**The smoke alarms- I've used two brands:**

**BRK SC9120B Smoke/ Carbon Dioxide alarm- this is the one with the LED strobe lights. **

**Silent Call Shake Up smoke detector with wall mount- this is the expensive one with the pad that is placed under the pillow. I sort of figured that Jack's mum would take no precautions, and would spend that bit more so that *should* a fire break out then Jack can be alerted via the strobe light or the vibrations. **

**PHONE CALLS/ COMMUNICATION**

**Admittedly I found this the hardest to research. I found a deaf community forum, and it seemed that it's very much a personal preference type situation. That and where a person resides (rural/ semi rural/ suburban) as well as the urgency of the call can all have an impact. In the end I decided Jack would largely use skype and text to keep in contact with friends and family with the voice relay system to contact businesses etc. The Screenphone I imagine is mostly a last resort, but primarily there for his mum and sisters use as they have their hearing.**

**I've used Sorenson VRS- as the voice relay system which Jack makes use of if he needs to make a call. **

**The telephone handset I've used is the GEEMARC Screenphone, although from my research it seems that for a lot of people the TTY method of conversing is being used less and less. **


	7. Chapter 7

The sound of the school bell echoed through the halls, signalling the end of yet another school week. Elsa pushed her chair back, carefully slinging her backpack onto her shoulders as she made her way into the hallway.

Pulling out her phone, she checked for a tex,t but nothing had come through. Shrugging she made her way towards Jack's homeroom. Keeping her eyes peeled for the familiar mess of silver-grey hair that she'd come to know so well.

Seven weeks had passed since she'd first visited Jack's house. Since then she'd become a regular visitor, spending a few hours after school every Friday relaxing prior to getting tutored in ASL by Mrs Frost.

Her lessons were going well. The book her parents had ordered on beginners sign language was proving to be incredibly helpful. She'd only had the book for six weeks but had already filled it with notes she'd learned from the Frost family. To her delight her own family had gotten behind her, willingly listening as she enthusiastically demonstrated her new skills.

The tap on her shoulder broke Elsa from her thoughts. Looking up she found Jack, standing in front of her, his lopsided grin on his face. Behind him she could see his interpreter Hans watching with interest.

"Hello," he signed. "Let's go."

Elsa smiled. "Hello," she replied. Her hands mimicking his movements. She frowned, unsure of the second part of Jack's message.

"Wait, slow down," she signed, cocking her head.

She watched as Hans stepped forward, opening his mouth to speak only to have Jack shoot him a look, his hands moving to sign. Elsa recognised the first word as 'Stop.'. Grinning, Hans held his hands up in defeat, shaking his head.

Pouting, Elsa turned to Jack, watching as he indicated to her 'Beginners Sign Language' book which she held cradled in her arms. Handing it to him, he flicked through it, opening to a page and handing it back to her as he pointed to a sign.

She felt a tap on her arm as Jack got her attention, his hands repeating the same sign from earlier. Pursing her lips, she looked over the page, scanning the demonstrated signs until she found the one he'd used.

"Lets go?," she said, signing as she looked from Jack to Hans, seeking confirmation.

"Yes," Jack signed, beaming at her.

"Jack told me you're doing well with your signing," Hans said, signing as he spoke.

Elsa nodded, biting her lip as she looked between Jack and Hans. She dug in her bag, looking for some notepaper.

"It's okay," Hans interrupted, smiling. "If you're unsure how to respond, then just talk and I will interpret for you."

"I'm enjoying it," Elsa said, sliding the paper back into her bag. "Learning a lot. Mrs Frost told me to practise my signing in front of a mirror. She said it will help me with the way I use my hands."

Hans nodded, as he interpreted to Jack. "It's challenging in the beginning, but worthwhile. Keep at it and you'll get there. Wait until your teachers stop talking when signing."

Elsa grinned. "Oh, gosh, yeah Mrs Frost stopped talking whilst signing to me pretty quickly. Something about ASL syntax and grammar being different to English grammar," she said. "I must admit that surprised me. However, the Frost's are patient with me. The sign for 'Slow down' was one of the first I learned. Good to know for situations like before."

"True. Don't be afraid to ask someone to slow down their signing whilst you're learning, or to repeat themselves," Hans added, stealing a look at his watch in between signing. "Anyway, I must go, it is the weekend after all. I'm sure you kids don't want to hang around here any longer. Go, enjoy your weekend."

Elsa grinned, turning to wave farewell at Hans. She laughed happily as Jack tugged on her hand, leading her towards the front doors of the school.

….**~X~**...

Hans watched as Jack ran ahead, happily tugging the hand of his friend. He couldn't help but notice the change in his young client. Over the last few weeks the teen had become happier. There had been a sparkle back in his eyes, one which could only be attributed to Elsa.

It pained Hans to know that the young boy had been so lonely. He had sensed that the boy was lonesome in his new school. The majority of his classmates seemed to give him a wide birth. He could only put it down to the fact that the time and effort needed to write a note, or speak via an interpreter seemed troublesome for fellow students.

It was a shame though. He'd only been working with Jack for a little under a year, and already he'd developed a fondness for the boy,finding him to be intelligent, caring, friendly and with a great, albeit cheeky sense of humour. There were times when Hans had to bite his lip to prevent himself from laughing too much at a wisecrack which his young charge had signed.

Hans had long believed that his client may have fallen victim to bullying. There were a group of boys whom he'd caught shooting threatening looks at Jack. Not to mention the times Jack had come to school looking shaken. Sadly, as an interpreter Hans role was strictly to translate between Jack and his teachers/ fellow classmates. As far as the day to day running of the classroom Hans had no authority. He'd discussed his concerns with Jack's homeroom teacher, as well as the school counsellor but had been shrugged off. Both staff members had said that short of Jack actually approaching them, admitting to any bullying then there was little they could do about it. Hans had been there when the counsellor had approached Jack, enquiring about his experiences in the school. Every time the boy had shrugged her off, swearing that he was fine.

Hans had stopped by his family home that day, calling in to see his mother to vent his frustrations. The older woman had simply looked at him, her hands moving quickly as she signed. She told him that, although she understood his concern, if Jack was being bullied then chances were he feared telling an authority figure about the bullies would only lead to further trouble for him. Reluctantly Hans had agreed. After all, his mother did spend most of her working life as a counsellor for Deaf youth.

A few weeks ago, though, things had picked up. Jack had met a friend. A new girl who had moved from Norway to Burgess at the start of the school year. Word in the student lounge was that the older girl, Elsa was quiet, more reserved than her bubbly younger sister. Elsa, was rumoured to hardly speak, lacking confidence in her spoken English.

Hans had quizzed Jack on his new friend. To his delight the boy had happily told him about Elsa, recalling how she had taken to carrying a notepad and pen with her so they could communicate. He laughed, shaking his head, remembering how a few weeks earlier Jack had raced into class, eagerly telling him how his new friend had spent the night at his house and had shown an interest in learning to sign. She'd even gone so far as to purchase her own book to help her learn.

Shaking his head, Hans made his way towards the school's front office, ready to sign himself out of the building before heading home. The sounds of voices echoed through the emptied halls.

"Oh, look, it's Deaf-boy and the freak," a girl spat.

Hans frowned, his eyes looking ahead to where Jack and Elsa stood, backed into a wall by a dark haired girl and a boy he recognised from some of Jack's classes. He noticed the way Elsa's eyes moved from Jack to the two students.

"I'd invite the two of you to my Halloween party this weekend, but there's no point," the girl hissed, her hand placed on her hips. "One of you can't hear the music and the other can barely speak English. Besides, Halloween's a time you dress up all freaky, and well...you two do that on a daily basis."

Hans could feel the anger rising in his throat. Growing up with profoundly Deaf parents he'd become accustomed to the cruelty some people could bestow upon the Deaf. As a child he'd been subjected to bullying. His classmates would watch as Hans would be dropped at school, waiting patiently for him to sign goodbye to his mother. They'd then approach him, waving their hands in mockery of sign language. All the while they taunted him, making cruel assumptions that Hans parents were of lower intellect, and that Hans and his older brothers were genetically prone to stupidity.

"What's going on here?," he shouted, picking up his pace as he moved towards the teens.

He watched as the bullying girl took a step back, her jaw unclenching as she forced a smile. "Just talking," she said. "I noticed Elsa here is learning sign and I was interested in her progress."

Hans cocked an eyebrow, his hands moving to translate the girls words to Jack. He noticed how Jack bowed his head, diverting his eyes. His eyes skimmed over to Elsa, her blue eyes fixed on Jack.

"It's funny," he spoke, his voice low. "I actually overheard part of your conversation, and it sure didn't sound like you were asking about sign language."

The girls face turned a deep shade of red, her brows furrowing as she looked at him. "Just a friendly little joke," she stammered. "Anyway, we have to go now….got a busy weekend."

He watched as the girl tightened her grip on her backpack, grabbing the hand of the boy and dragging him out the door. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Hans turned to Jack, noting with disappointment how the boy refused to look at him, focusing his attention on his phone instead.

He was just about to speak to Elsa, to ask her what was happening when she spoke, informing him that Jack's mum had just texted and was waiting for them out the front of the school.

He sighed, watching as the two teens made their way out the front door, making a note to try and approach Jack about the situation on Monday.

…**~X~**...

Jack grinned, making his way up the driveway to the Andersen home. No sooner had he raised his hand to knock than the door opened, a beaming Anna waving him in.

His eyes widened as he caught sight of Anna, dressed in blue overalls and a yellow striped t-shirt and white sneakers. Her strawberry blonde hair had been hidden underneath a short black wig which was tied with the ponytail sticking straight up.

"Hello," she signed, making her way to hold the door for his mother and sister as they followed him in.

He watched as Anna reached over to grab a piece of paper and pen. "_Apologies, Elsa's teaching us a bit but I'm not picking up ASL as fast as she is,"_ she wrote, passing the paper to Jack.

"_You're trying. That means a lot," _ he replied, handing the paper back. "_By the way, what are you dressed as?"_

Anna pouted, picking up a plush white unicorn toy, placing it under her arms, grabbing the paper and pen she replied. "_Agnes, Despicable Me." _

"I love Agnes!," signed Emily. "It's so fluffy, I'm going to die."

"Wait, isn't Agnes meant to be five years old?," Jack signed. He raised his eyebrows, watching as Emily translated for Anna.

He watched as Anna removed the toy unicorn, swinging it at him, before grabbing for the pen and paper. "_Wait until my father hears about this," _she replied.

Jack grinned, pulling open the replica Slytherin robes his father had bought him to reveal his black pants, white dress shirt, grey sweater and the green and silver Slytherin tie. "Draco is the best," he signed, watching as Emily turned to translate.

A nudge to his side broke him from his thoughts. He turned, a lopsided grin appearing on his face as he noticed Elsa had entered the lounge room, dressed in black pants, a white dress shirt, grey sweater with the yellow and maroon Gryffindor tie. Her platinum blonde hair had been left down. In her arms she held her replica wand and the black Gryffindor robes.

"You look good," she signed, smiling shyly.

Jack blushed. Watching as Emily flung her arms around Elsa's waist before pulling back. "I'm a princess," she informed Elsa, her hands moving to sign for Jack's benefit.

"Alright," Jack's mum interrupted. "Less chatting. The Andersen's want to get some photo's taken. So we need to do that before leaving. I don't want you kids out too late."

Jack nodded, watching as Elsa's parents pulled out a camera snapping some photo's of their daughters. He glanced around the room, taking in the few decorations that dotted the walls. A large bowl of candy sat on the coffee table, ready for any trick or treaters.

"Jack," Caroline Frost signed. "Come stand next to Elsa."

Jack nodded, making his way to stand beside Elsa, slinging his arm around her before turning to face Walt Andersen.

"Smile," Walt signed, turning to face Caroline.

Jack grinned, watching as his mum spoke to Elsa's dad, her hands signing for Jack, letting him know that the older man had asked if he'd gotten the sign right. He'd gone on to tell her how Elsa had been enthusiastic in teaching their family the signs as she learned them.

"She's picking it up really well," Jack signed, watching as his mum translated. "Mum says that Elsa is picking up sign language even better than she did."

Jack turned to face Elsa, smiling wickedly as he pulled out his wand, adopting a dueling stance. To his delight Elsa caught on. She pulled out her own wand, mimicking his stance. Together they turned to face their parents, allowing the adults to snap a series of fun shots with them pretending to be engaged in a duel.

Emily came to stand in front of Jack. "You know," she said, her hands moving to sign. "Anna was just telling me how she used to 'ship' Draco and Hermione as boyfriend and girlfriend."

Jack let out a cough, nervously rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. He stole a glance at Elsa noticing her face was as red as his, looking down he focused his attention on re-tying his shoelace. He ignored the delighted expression on Anna's face as her body shook with laughter.

…**~X~**...

Elsa felt her cheeks heating up as she followed Jack into her family dining room, taking her place at the table. She watched as Emily loudly announced to Mrs Frost that 'everyone,' had thought Elsa and Jack were a couple. The small girl's hands moving to sign, stopping only to steal a 'high five' from a grinning Anna.

They had not long returned from their first time 'Trick or Treating'. Together her, Jack, Anna and Emily had door knocked on the houses in their neighbourhood, holding out their small bags to allow a small treat to be dropped in by the occupants of each home.

Anna and Emily had led the door-knocking, eagerly standing front and centre whilst shouting 'Trick or Treat'. Emily had taken on the role of informing the amused home owner that her brother was Deaf, stepping aside so that Elsa, Jack and Walt could sign 'Trick or Treat'.

Finally, after an hour and a half they returned to the Andersen family home. Their arms laden with treats. Along the way Anna and Emily had continued to bond, loudly discussing how 'cute' a couple Draco and Hermione would make. To her dismay Emily had continued to sign, ensuring that Jack knew exactly what was being said.

….**~X~**...

Jack leaned back against the passenger seat of the family car, waving as his mother backed the car out of the Andersen's driveway.

Digging in his pocket he pulled out a small chocolate bar that he'd found in his candy haul, unwrapping it and popping the treat into his mouth. He watched as his mum held her hand out, waiting patiently as he dug into his candy bag to hand her a treat.

He couldn't wait to get home and unwind on the couch. He knew that Emily would be put to bed upon arrival, allowing him a chance to relax with his mum without any younger ears listening, or piping up with suggestions that Elsa was bound to become his girlfriend.

Still, he couldn't help but smile. He knew from the sparkle in his mum's eyes that she had enjoyed herself at the Andersen's. The way she'd shared jokes with Elsa's mum, the two ladies had apparently bonded during their time dispensing candy to fellow trick or treaters.

It had been a long time since Caroline Frost had enjoyed a night laughing, spending most of her time either at work or home alone. Sadly the majority of Jack's parents friends had ceased to visit after his father had left. He knew that despite her happy facade, his mother was lonely.

That was why when Elsa had invited Jack and his family to dinner at her home following their trick or treating he'd happily agreed, running home to tell his mum that they'd been invited out and he'd said yes. From what Elsa had said her own mother felt lonely, spending most of her days tending to the house.

"They are lovely," Caroline signed, settling back on her recliner. "I really like that family."

Jack nodded, swallowing the bite of candy he was eating. "They are," he agreed. "I'm so glad they moved here. Do you know Mr Andersen even signed with Elsa and me?."

Caroline beamed at him. "I do," she replied. "He was quite eager to show Lillian and me. It's just so nice how they welcomed us, Jackson."

Jack nodded, remembering the way the Andersen's had placed pen and paper in easy view in the lounge room and dining room table, the family turning to writing when their knowledge of sign language ran out. The look on Elsa's parents faces as they had enquired about signing, asking questions and taking care to position their hands correctly when signing.

"Don't think I didn't notice that you actually spoke tonight," Caroline signed, her face lighting up in a smile.

Jack grinned. "I feel comfortable with them," he admitted. "They are good people."

He watched as his mum's face softened, noting the faint traces of tears in her eyes. Jack grinned, reaching for his candy haul, pulling out a chocolate and tossing it to her.

Picking up his phone he scanned through the photo's he'd snapped, pictures of him and Elsa in their costumes, smiling happily for the camera. Together they had enjoyed the freedom that came with being surrounded by people who loved and cared for them.

**A/N- Just a fun (well I hope) chapter where we get to learn a bit about how Elsa's signing lessons are coming along. As well as Hans as he appears in this story. Sadly there is a lot of ignorance that can exist about Deaf people. I've learned thanks to Zulka that some parents believe that their Deaf child may be of lower intellect. Some even not bothering to sign when in the presence of their Deaf family member :(.**

I'd like to point out as a guest mentioned lip reading and speech therapy. My research (and please PM me if I'm wrong) seems to suggest that whilst lip reading can be beneficial, it is not always reliable due to similarities in the pattern of certain words/ whether the speaker is speaking clearly etc. My research suggests that it is a learned skill, and indeed there are classes that can be taken to help to learn how to read lips.

**In regards to the Speech therapy- that is something I'll do some more research on. I know that in this story Jack (and Hans parents) are profoundly Deaf. Action on Hearing Loss UK classes profound Deafness as being where the quietest sound a person can hear is 95 decibels. According to Galen Carol Audio (site name) 95 decibels is the sound of a subway train approaching from 200 feet away. So that is the *quietest* sound someone like Jack (in this story) can hear. **

**Until next time. Keep Calm and Ship Jelsa. **


	8. Chapter 8

Six weeks had passed since Halloween, and in that time a lot had changed. The cool crisp Autumn air with its vibrant reds and oranges had disappeared, making way for the onset of Winter with thick snow now covering the city of Philadelphia and its suburbs. Halloween decorations had long been packed away for the following year, Thanksgiving garnishings had been quick to appear, only to be taken down once the holiday had passed, joining the Halloween decorations in storage and allowing room for the onset of Christmas themed ornaments and displays.

The Halloween weekend had only just passed when Caroline Frost had rung, requesting the presence of the Andersens at the Frost family home for Thanksgiving. She had explained that it would only be herself, Jack and Emily, therefore the four Andersens would make for a delightful addition. Lillian had eagerly accepted, urged on by Anna who had her heart set on trying the famous 'Pumpkin Pie' that she'd heard about from her new school friends.

For Lillian Andersen, she had found a kindred spirit in Caroline, a caring, loving mother who doted on her two children, and had been so kind, welcoming her daughter, Elsa, teaching her sign language and dropping her home having had dinner. In the weeks that had followed Halloween she had caught up with Caroline, the two slowly forming a friendship, with the American woman even suggesting Lillian considered changing the status of her visa, allowing her to work in the United States, claiming it could help solve the loneliness Lillian felt being stuck at home whilst her husband worked and her daughters studied.

Caroline Frost, on the otherhand, had discovered a kind, generous family who had not only accepted her, but her beloved children as well. She had been so impressed upon meeting the Andersen daughters, seeing the way the kind-hearted girls had taken to her own children. The night spent at the Andersen's had been one of the happiest times she'd had in a long time, watching as their children had gone off trick or treating, interacting like old friends whilst she and Lillian remained behind, sharing stories and gushing about each other's children. Both mothers agreeing that Jack and Elsa's friendship, had been the best thing that could have happened for the respective teens, inspiring many positive changes.

…**..~X~...**

Elsa shivered, pulling her black trench coat tighter around her body as she stepped off the bus. Beside her she felt Jack's grip on her arm, stealing her attention as he pointed her in the direction that they were heading.

"Not far from here," he signed, smiling at her.

She nodded, moving to follow Jack as he guided her through the busy sidewalk of downtown Philadelphia. He'd arranged to meet some of his friends from his old school in the city for a hot drink, and had invited Elsa to join them. To her surprise, she had agreed, eager to meet the friends that she had heard so much about.

They came to a stop outside of a small well lit cafeteria on a side street, Jack poked his head through the window, waving to someone inside. Biting her lip, she paused, suddenly feeling nervous at the prospect of meeting Jack's friends.

As if sensing her nerves, Jack reached out, tapping her arm. "Hey," he said. "You will be fine, my friends will love you, they are excited to finally meet you."

She frowned, both Jack and Mrs Frost, had said her signing was coming along well, and she knew that she was starting to respond to more words, building up to longer signed conversations. However, this would be the first time she would spend with a small group of Deaf people. One of the things that Mrs Frost had mentioned was how important and supportive the Deaf community was to those in it, in learning ASL she was not just learning a language, but also about a culture, a community which had it's own rules, and social niceties. She could feel her anxiety getting the better of her, the fear of making a mistake, of somehow appearing rude to Jack's friends was eating away at her.

"What if I make a mistake?" she asked, looking at Jack.

Jack looked at her, stroking his chin in before leaning forward and wrapping her in a hug. Blushing, he stepped back. "You are perfect," he said. "My friends know you are learning, you are trying your best, that is all we can ask. Besides, they will be too busy trying to embarrass me in front of you."

She was just about to reply when the door to the cafe flung open and a petite girl with dark hair leapt out, reaching to tap Jack before flinging her arms around him in a hug. Elsa stood back, watching as Jack stumbled under the girl's enthusiastic hug. The girl pulled back, standing to the side so that both Elsa and Jack had clear view of her hands as she signed her greeting.

"Tia," Jack spoke, his hands signing. "We will come inside now. I will do a formal introduction inside where it is warm."

Elsa smiled, watching as the girl turned, holding the door open for her and Jack. She felt Jack reach down to grip her hand and blushed, allowing him to lead her towards a round table situated near an open log fire.

Her eyes fell on Jack's friends, recognising them immediately from the photo's that Jack had shown her. Sandy, the small blonde boy, with a splattering of freckles and green eyes sat, smiling shyly at her. To the left of Sandy was Aster, the tall Australian born boy who Jack had nicknamed Bunny, the Easter Kangaroo. Rounding up the group was the girl from outside, Tia, with her colourful clothes and welcoming smile.

Blushing, she allowed Jack to pull the chair out for her, after going around the table and introducing her to everyone.

She felt a tap on her shoulder, turning to find Aster staring at her, a wry grin on his face. "Don't be afraid to tell us to slow down," he said. "We've brought pad and paper to help you as well."

Elsa blushed. "Thank you," she replied, her eyes falling on the paper and pens, as well as the iPad opened to the notepad application which had been laid in the centre of the table.

Beside her, she felt Jack poke her, as he pulled his own iPad out from his bag, handing it to her with the notepad application. "Just in case," he spoke.

She smiled, bending her head down as she typed her message out, she could hear Jack as he spoke, relaying what was being said amongst the friends as she typed.

'_Jack said you would tell me why he calls you Bunny, and the Easter Kangaroo,' _ she wrote, placing the iPad in clear view for Aster and the rest of Jack's friends to see.

She watched as Aster frowned, shooting a look at Jack who responded by poking his tongue out.

"Allow me," Jack spoke, signing for his friends. "When we were in grade two we had an Easter parade where we all dressed up in an Easter theme. Aster came in a bunny outfit, but he couldn't hop properly, he looked more like a kangaroo, as opposed to a rabbit, so I called him the Easter Kangaroo. Also, he was born in Australia, so the name suits him."

Elsa giggled, she watched as Aster signed, calling Jack an idiot, only for Jack to respond with yet another name in retaliation.

She felt a tap on her arm. Turning, she saw Tia, smiling widely at her. "They always tease each other. Talk to Sandy and I….."

Elsa frowned, pulling out her sign language book before asking Tia to slow down. To her relief Tia smiled, repeating herself slowly whilst Sandy bent his head down and scribbled a note on the paper.

'_Jack and Aster always fight like this, they have complicated friendship, we know they care, but they love to tease each other. Like Tia said, they can carry on bickering like this, for ages. Talk to Tia and I, we are the mature ones.' _he said.

Elsa nodded, sitting back as the friends talked around her. To her relief, Jack and Aster stopped their playful bickering, with Jack leaning over to squeeze her shoulder, smiling at her as she finished signing to Tia about their favourite movies. She couldn't help but feel her anxiety slowly fade away, her signing was slow, and she had to ask for a few things to be repeated, but Jack's friends were patient with her, helping her to find unfamiliar signs in her book. She noticed a few of the things that Mrs Frost had told her about, namely how much the Deaf community relied on facial expressions when talking, the importance on providing eye contact whilst signing, and the way when Sandy left to go to the restroom he made sure the table knew where was going.

…..**~X~...**

Jack groaned, watching as the bus him and Elsa were meant to catch pulled away from the stop. Beside him he felt Elsa come to a halt as she realised they'd just missed the bus to get home. Shrugging, he pulled her out of the way of the crowds whilst he reached for the timetable he'd shoved in his pocket.

"We have to wait 30 minutes for the next bus," he explained, showing her the timetable.

Elsa nodded, her eyes looking over his shoulder. He turned, following her gaze, his eyes landing on a small kiosk in the terminal selling hot drinks and snacks. He grinned, knowing Elsa and her penchant for chocolate, she was already planning a way to keep them busy.

He felt a tap on his shoulder, turning he focused his eyes back on Elsa. "Want a hot chocolate? My treat," she asked.

Jack grinned, nodding enthusiastically. "You're on," he replied, following Elsa as she made her way to the kiosk.

He looked at Elsa, watching as a strand of her hair fell from her face as she leaned down, sending a text to let her mum know that they would be getting home later than expected. He knew that she had been nervous about today, she was shy at the best of times, not to mention that she was still very much a newcomer in the United States, having only been in the country for four months. However, she had put her trust in him and had stepped out of her comfort zone to meet his friends, he couldn't help but feel proud of her.

Their visit with his friends had been an eye opener for him. He'd gotten a chance to introduce the friends he'd grown up with to his first, and only friend, from his new school. Unsurprisingly, the visit had gone well, he knew that Elsa was nervous, she was still only a beginner in her signing and had expressed concern, fearing she would make a mistake, or somehow offend his friends, but she had been perfect. His friends had loved her, and were all prepared, slowing down the speed at which they signed to allow her to keep up, pointing her towards new signs in her book, and happily relying on the iPads when necessary. Elsa had been amazing, she had remembered to give eye contact, and had signed as much as possible, even managing to learn a few new signs.

Climbing on the bus, he pulled Elsa towards a seat, waiting patiently for her to slide in before taking the spot beside her.

"Hey," he said. "Today was great, you were amazing, my friends loved you."

He watched as the blush crept over Elsa's pale face, her whole face breaking into a smile. Shaking his head, he glanced down at his phone, finding a text had come in from Tia.

Tia: '_Tell her'._

…**~X~...**

Elsa laughed, watching as a Jack pushed open the doors, stepping out of the school building and pumping his fist triumphantly. Every Friday it was the same, he'd get a wide smile on his face, then raise his fist, celebrating the end of yet another school week.

Slowly she fell in step with Jack, their shoulders bumping as they made their way to the school carpark to wait for his mum. The sound of a text coming through cut through their silence. Pausing she stepped to the side, watching as Jack pulled his phone from his pocket and swiped to read the message. Frowning, he handed the phone to her, letting her see the text from his mum announcing that she had been held up by Emily's teacher.

She nodded, passing the phone back to Jack as they continued towards the parking bay, noting that most of the student cars had already gone, save for a few stragglers.

The sudden impact of a body crashing into hers sent Elsa crashing to the ground. She frowned, turning her head to see Violet and Tyler along with a few of their friends surrounding her, failing to contain their laughter. She felt the tears welling up, sniffing she wiped at her eyes, not willing to let them see her cry

"Stop," she heard Jack call, his voice firm. "Leave her alone."

She gasped, watching as Jack's eyes widened in surprise as he bent down, extending his hand to help her to her feet. She looked at him, the shock on his face as he realised he'd just used his voice in public, in front of their bullies no less.

Her eyes glanced at Violet, Tyler and their friends who were all staring at Jack in shock. She knew that Jack feared being bullied for his spoken accent, and she also knew that their bullies were relentless in the ways they would torment them. Instinctively she gripped his hand tighter, ignoring the slight ache she felt from being pushed.

"He talks!" Tyler smirked, pointing at Jack. "Did you hear his accent?!"

Elsa felt her heart sink, stepping forward she glared at him. She could feel the anger rising inside her. For the last few weeks her and Jack had been bullied by these people, for seemingly no reason and it was starting to wear her down. The stress of not knowing when they would pounce, or what they would do to her or Jack was one thing. However, the thought that they could be planning on attacking her friend, the only friend she had in America, when he had done something so incredibly brave, made her furious.

"Leave him alone," she snapped. "He has done nothing to you, nothing to deserve this."

Gulping she watched as Violet stepped closer to her boyfriend, resting her hand on Tyler's shoulder, her cold, unblinking eyes fixed on Elsa. "Relax, Elsie, it's not like your boyfriend can hear us anyway." she hissed. "Although, I do think it's awfully cute how you two freaks came to be."

Elsa stared at her, watching with disgust as Violet broke into laughter. Everytime she thought that Violet couldn't possibly get any nastier, she went and proved her wrong. She opened her mouth to respond, only to be interrupted, the sound of a car horn cutting through the silence.

She watched as Violet shifted her attention to Mrs Frost who had arrived, her windows wound down as she waved to Jack and Elsa. Seizing the moment, Elsa bolted, tugging Jack towards his mum's car.

"Is there something I need to know about?" Mrs Frost asked, looking her son and Elsa up and down.

Elsa stared at her, unsure what she was getting at. It was only when she felt Jack release her hand that she realised they had been holding hands ever since he had helped her to her feet. Blushing, she shook her head, opening the door to slide in next to Jack.

…**~X~...**

Jack focused his attention on the ceiling, his mind continually replaying the events of the afternoon and evening as he strived to make sense of what had happened.

He'd been walking with Elsa to the carpark when Violet had struck, slamming into Elsa from behind and sending her falling to the ground. Jack had leapt into action, speaking out, calling for the girl to stop before bending down to help Elsa to her feet. He'd not even realised he had used his voice until the attention had shifted to him. He'd felt his heart rate increase watching as Violet, Tyler and their friends had turned to gawk at him. He knew that Tyler had said something nasty, earning a round of laughter from all but Elsa.

Elsa had glared at the group, stepping forward and confronting them, only for Violet to respond with something that had caused Elsa to get even angrier, lowering her gaze as she'd stared at the group. He'd never seen her so angry before, whatever had been said had seemingly pushed her to her limit.

It was only once they reached the safety of the car that she had reached over to fill him in on what had been said, letting him know that Tyler had gone to mock Jack's voice, only for Elsa to snap, telling him to 'leave Jack alone,'. She had gone on to say that Violet had spoken up in support of her boyfriend, cruelly pointing out that there was no need for her to react like she did because Jack couldn't hear his taunts.

If Jack were to be honest, he knew it wasn't the cruelty of Tyler and Violet's words and actions that had him struggling to sleep. It was Elsa.

Unbeknownst to Elsa, she had been the topic of conversation after she had left to use the restroom at the cafe. No sooner had she turned her back, had Aster turned to face Jack, a wide grin on his face as he accused Jack of liking Elsa. Naturally, Jack had responded, pointing out that she was his friend, it was only natural he liked her. That was when Sandy had cut in, pointing out that their conversations over the last few weeks had all been dominated by Jack's talking about Elsa, telling them about her progress, or how sweet, and caring she was. Tia had broken into a wide grin, claiming she had 'called it', ever since Jack had first mentioned Elsa, and now having met Elsa she believed it to be true, that both Jack and Elsa had romantic feelings for each other.

The claims of him liking Elsa had risen once again, after his mother had pointed out that Jack and Elsa had been holding hands when she had arrived to pick them up earlier that day. He had blushed and released Elsa's hand, having been so caught up in helping her back to her feet, and the shock of using his voice that he'd not realised they were still holding hands.

To his dismay his darling younger sister hadn't failed to noticed. She had waited until later that evening when Elsa's family had arrived, stopping long enough to have coffee and cake at the Frost home. Emily had waited until Anna had waltzed through the door, running up to the older girl and eagerly telling her how Elsa and Jack had been holding hands. Taking care to sign what she had said as well as Anna's response.

Jack groaned, he couldn't like Elsa, he knew she was friendly, caring, kind, intelligent, fiercely protective of her loved ones and not to mention beautiful, but that didn't mean he had deeper feelings for her…..surely.

…**.~X~... **

Elsa sighed, rolling over as she struggled to fall asleep. She'd tried having a warm bath, as well as a hot chocolate to relax herself but so far they had proven futile.

Her mind kept replaying the events of the last few hours. To her relief her knee had been fine, with only a small bruise forming where she had landed on the pavement. Her anger at Violet and Tyler had subsided, after she'd been busted holding hands with Jack.

Emily, who had witnessed Elsa and her brother holding hands after school, had been quick to relay the information to Anna later that evening, claiming that it was true, that Jack and Elsa were 'in love'. The two younger sisters had then sat watching Jack and Elsa's every move, as if waiting for some kind of sign to prove them right in their theory that the two were more than friends.

Elsa groaned, she couldn't like Jack. He was her friend, and she realised that he was smart, friendly, funny, caring, courageous and definitely good looking, but that didn't mean that she 'liked' him.

**A/N- Hi, my apologies for my lateness. I've been busy with some other writing related work which took a lot of time. **

**Hopefully you all enjoy this chapter. We get to meet Tia (Tooth), Sandy and Aster (Bunnymund).**


	9. Chapter 9

Elsa squealed as the snowball came in contact with the back of her thigh, taking her by surprise. Spinning around, she found Jack, clutching his stomach as he laughed.

"Got you!" he spoke, coming to stand beside her.

Pursing her lips, Elsa bent down, scooping a ball of snow in her hand before pressing it on Jack's head. She could hear the sound of Emily and Anna's loud giggles as they stepped out from their hiding spot, clearly enjoying their siblings private snowball fight.

"Not fair, you're on my side!" Elsa scolded, poking her tongue out at Jack.

"You do know, the two of you are supposed to be on the same team right?" Anna pointed out, standing beside Emily who signed for Jack.

"It was friendly fire!" Elsa shot back. "The teams were youngest against oldest, and I got taken down by my own friend and teammate."

"I couldn't resist," Jack protested. "Besides, you and Emily are hopeless shots, Elsa and I were kicking your butts."

Placing a hand on her hip she turned, watching as Emily helped to sign for Jack, filling in the signs that Elsa wasn't aware of yet. Behind her stood Anna, a wide grin on her face.

Opening her mouth, she was just about to say something when she was hit by yet another snowball. Frowning, she turned around, watching as her mother aimed a snowball at Anna, hitting the younger girl on her shoulder. Mrs Frost stood beside Lillian laughing loudly.

"Come inside, we've made hot chocolate," Caroline chuckled.

Elsa nodded, following behind Anna and Emily as they led the way towards the Andersen's back door. Out of the corner of her eye she spied Jack, scooping a handful of snow in his hand, his eyes flicking between Elsa and their younger siblings. Smirking, she bent down, grabbing a handful of snow in her own hands. Together, her and Jack crept towards the younger duo, simultaneously dumping the snow over their heads.

"We won!" Jack said, holding his palm up for Elsa to high five, she stifled a giggle, watching as Emily and Anna reacted to their final attack.

…**~X~...**

A tap on the shoulder startled Jack, raising his head, he found a note dropped on his open math textbook. He paused, his eyes falling on a boy he recognised as Ryan, a member of the school's basketball team, staring at him, expectantly.

He gulped, feeling his heart racing as he looked down at the note. In the five weeks since Jack had spoken out loud in defence of Elsa, the bullying had increased, with Tyler and Violet recruiting other students to deliver abusive notes to him and Elsa, managing to get to them even when they weren't in the same class. Jack had hoped that the Christmas break would be enough for the bullies to forget about him using his voice but alas, they hadn't.

Having now heard Jack's voice had provided the bullies with even more ways to tease him. It had quickly spread around the school that the 'Deaf boy' spoke, with Tyler and Violet's gang making jokes about his accent, even going so far to create a series of poorly photoshopped pictures of Jack standing on the American Idol stage, with 'Future American Idol' scrawled all over the image. The images had been printed, and stashed in Jack's locker, or delivered in class, along with cruel taunts, begging him to consider a career in public speaking. To make matters worse, the same notes were being sent to Elsa, only with comments implying that they were in a romantic relationship, and that she in turn, would hear his voice during their rumoured intimate moments.

Jack frowned, looking up, his eyes met Hans, who sat up the front of the class, watching intently. He shrugged, trying to steady his shaking hands whilst slowly unfolding the paper. He'd not seen Ryan hanging around Tyler during his time at the school, however, that didn't mean the two weren't friends, or that Tyler hadn't convinced him to do his dirty work for him.

"_Hey, is it true that you're dating the German girl, Elisa?"_

A sense of relief flooded Jack, as he realised the note apparently wasn't another of Tyler or Violet's work. Furrowing his brow, he looked at Ryan, noting the way he was shifting uncomfortably on his feet.

"_Her name is Elsa, and she is Norwegian, and no we're not dating." _ he replied, handing the note back to Ryan.

He watched as Ryan bent over an empty desk, scrawling a response before handing the note back to Jack.

"_So, she's single? Do you know if she has a date for the prom yet?" _

Jack frowned. "_Yes, she's single and no, I don't think she has a prom date yet"_

He slid the paper back to Ryan, watching as a small smile broke out on his face.

"_Thanks, I'm going to ask her out then, she's hot." _ Ryan shot back, giving Jack a thumbs up before heading back to his seat.

Jack scowled, scrunching up the paper and shoving it in his pocket. He watched Ryan settle back into his seat, leaning over to whisper to the kid who sat beside him, their eyes fixed on Jack. Groaning, he directed his attention back to his textbook, ignoring the curious look on Hans' face.

Thoughts of his interaction with Ryan clouded his mind, something about the boy didn't sit well with Jack. On the surface he appeared fine, with his neat brown hair, green eyes and a light splattering of freckles which covered his nose and cheeks. He was apparently popular with the girls as well, the few times Jack had seen him in the cafeteria he was swarmed by girls, all fawning over him like he was a member of a boyband, and not an ordinary teen in a suburban high school. He could have any girl in the school he wanted, and yet he had apparently decided that Elsa, a girl whose name and nationality he'd not even known, should be his date for the upcoming prom, simply because she was 'hot'.

The vibration of his watch broke him from his thoughts, alerting him to the start of the lunch period. Slamming his books closed, he made his way for the door, waving goodbye to Hans before racing to his locker.

….**~X~...**

Elsa frowned, watching as Jack's eyes darted around the cafeteria. Something seemed to be off with him, he'd been acting strange ever since she'd met up with him at his locker, standing close to her, scowling at almost anyone who dared look their way.

Leaning over, she tapped him on the shoulder. "What's wrong, Jack?" she asked. "Tell me, please."

"Nothing," Jack replied, fixing his attention on a table featuring members of the school's basketball team and cheerleading squad.

Reaching across she grabbed her ASL book, flicking through to find the sign she needed. Turning to face Jack, his attention still fixed on the jocks table. She tapped his hand, calling his attention back to her.

"It's not the bullies is it?" she quizzed. "Why won't you tell me? I'm your friend."

"I'm fine, Elsa, trust me." Jack shot back, bending his head down.

She sighed, reaching to take a sip of her drink. It was obvious to her that something wasn't right, Jack was clearly not happy. However, it appeared that he was reluctant to tell her who or what had made him upset.

Pulling out a piece of paper, she scribbled down a note. "_I don't know what is wrong and you clearly don't want to talk about it, but when you're ready I'm here for you, you know that." _she wrote, dropping the paper in front of Jack.

Getting up, she gathered her and Jack's empty lunch wrappers, taking them to toss in the nearest bin. She was just about about to return to the table when a boy she recognised from a few of her classes approached her, clearing his throat.

"Elsa?" he asked, running a hand through his hand through his neat brown hair.

Elsa nodded, she looked at him, trying to recall if she knew his name. The basketball sweater he wore indicated that he played on the school team, however it gave no hint at his name or nickname.

"My name's Ryan," the boy spoke, as if reading her mind.

Elsa blushed. "Sorry, I'm still learning people's names," she admitted, reaching out to shake his hand.

Ryan chuckled. "That's okay, I know you're new," he began. "I was wondering if you were planning on going to the prom? If so, I wanted to know if you wanted to be my date?" he asked.

Elsa blushed, wrapping her arms around her waist. She knew the prom was coming up, but hadn't put much thought into it. All she knew was that Anna had been pestering her, telling her that she simply had to go to her prom, claiming it to be yet another must-do in the American school experience.

"I haven't thought much about it. I know it's in March, but that's about it," she admitted, smiling bashfully. "I really haven't stopped to think about whether I was going to go."

"So, is that a no?" Ryan prompted, staring at her.

She shook her head, turning to look at Jack who was glaring at her and Ryan. Biting her lip, she focused her attention back on Ryan.

"It's not a no," she whispered, blushing. "It's just, I don't really know anything about you other than your name and that you're in a few of my classes and play basketball. I just think I should know a bit more than those few details before agreeing to go to prom with someone."

Ryan nodded, smiling at her. "So, you want a date first," he chuckled. "I can do that, how about I take you out this Saturday?"

Elsa could feel her cheeks heating up, she glanced at Jack who had turned his attention to his phone. "I uh, I'll have to think about it," she murmured. "Can I get back to you?"

She looked at Ryan, he seemed to be a nice enough guy, he was definitely what one would consider attractive, apparently confident enough to approach girls on a whim and ask them out. Still, there was something about him that didn't sit right with her and she couldn't put her finger on it.

…**~X~...**

Jack could feel the anger rising, watching as Ryan stood up from his table, casually sauntering over to Elsa, cornering her when she was on her own. He watched the way he looked at her, shooting confident looks back at his friends, all the while leaning over Elsa, looking at her as if she was some kind of trophy to be won.

Worst of all was Elsa was seemingly oblivious to it, blushing, tilting her head as she listened to him, giving him her full attention. Jack sighed, flicking through his phone, pulling up a photo of him and Elsa from New Years Eve. Their families had celebrated the evening together, with Elsa and Anna's grandparents flying in from Norway to visit. As the end of the year had wound down Jack had wrapped his arms around Elsa's shoulders, smiling happily for the camera whilst Anna snuck into the background of the photo to pull a goofy face.

Raising his head, he looked at Elsa, he could feel his heart sink as he saw she was still deep in conversation with Ryan. No doubt captivated by the guy, with his so called good looks, popularity, and not to mention his hearing. Jack knew he should be happy for Elsa, after all, she was beautiful, and beautiful people deserved to be together. If she were to go out with Ryan it would make sense, they would be considered an attractive, popular couple. Ryan's position on the basketball team would mean that Elsa wouldn't have to worry about bullies targeting her, she'd become one of the elite crowd. Dating Ryan would also mean she'd not have to carry a book on sign language around with her, or keep a supply of pen and paper on hand in order to talk with him.

Elsa didn't deserve to be burdened with a guy like Jack, she was too good a person, with her caring nature, her intellect, her beauty. Everything about her was seemingly perfect, right from the way her eyes stared at whoever held her attention, making them feel like the most important person, or the way she'd laugh, covering her mouth with her hand in the cutest way. Jack on the other-hand, was the guy who was always a little bit on the skinny side, whose hair was a weird silver-grey colour that never sat quite right, no matter how hard he tried. The same guy that would happily re-read Harry Potter for the umpteenth time, or chill with his kid sister, acting like a dork. He was the guy who required a series of modifications in his home, or for an interpreter to follow him around school just so that he could get an education. He was different, and she deserved better.

Sighing, he got up, pushing his chair back under the table and rushing out the cafeteria, purposefully avoiding looking at Elsa as he brushed past her.

…**..~X~...**

Elsa watched as Jack rushed out the cafeteria, his head down as he passed her and Ryan. She knew that he was upset, and whatever was troubling him appeared to involve her, judging by the way he was refusing to talk to her, not even sparing her a look as he left.

"Yeah sure, I'll see you round, Elsa," Ryan replied, breaking her out of her thoughts.

Elsa shook her head, in all her concern for Jack she'd completely forgotten that Ryan had asked her out. She nodded, giving Ryan a shy smile.

Making her way back to the abandoned table, she quickly scooped up her book and papers that Jack had left behind, noting that he'd failed to leave her a message explaining his sudden departure.

Elsa sighed, she knew she should be mad at Jack for blowing her off, leaving her alone, not even caring about her property, but she wasn't. She was hurt. She'd thought that their friendship meant more to him. She'd always thought he knew that she cared for him, a lot, and that he in turn cared for her, yet it seemed that in under an hour he'd managed to make her question their relationship, making her wonder if it had all been in her head.

Slowly, she made her way out of the cafeteria, making a mental note to try and find Jack after school.


	10. Chapter 10

Elsa paused, her eyes skimming the cafeteria, looking for a place to sit. All around her students were crowded around tables, happily chatting with their friends. She, however, was alone, missing the familiar comfort that was Jack.

She'd tried in vain to catch up with Jack at the end of the previous day, however, to her disappointment he'd already left, apparently having been sent home early due to illness. He'd left no message for her, she'd only found out when she had approached his homeroom teacher.

Once she'd gotten home, she had tried to contact Jack- sending him texts, private messages on Facebook and Skype, only to be ignored, despite evidence that he had been active online, and had seen her messages. Frustrated, she had rung the Frost home, speaking with Mrs Frost who had told her that Jack was not feeling well and didn't wish to speak to anyone. Reluctantly, she had hung up, leaving a message with the older woman, asking her to let Jack know that she was worried and just wanted to be there to support him.

No sooner had she arrived at school that morning when the text had come through, a simple message from Jack, letting her know that he wasn't going to be at school that day. She'd replied immediately, eager to find out how he was, and if he would be able to chat online later that afternoon, but he'd ignored her.

"Hey, Elsa," a voice called, snapping her out of her thoughts.

She turned, finding herself face to face with the boy from the the previous day, Ryan, standing in front of her, his lunch tray balanced on his hip.

"Are you okay?" Ryan asked, his green eyes staring at. "You look a bit lost."

Elsa nodded, faking a smile. "I'm fine, it's just my friend is absent, and I've got nowhere to sit," she replied.

"Hmm," Ryan murmured, flashing her a wide smile. "Well, it just so happens that we have a spare spot at my table, so if you want to, you can come sit with me? It will give us a chance to get to know each other better and then maybe you can do me the honour of being my prom date."

Elsa blushed, shifting her packed lunch to her other hand. "S..sure," she stammered.

She followed Ryan as he lead her to a table in the middle of the cafeteria, blushing slightly as she noticed the attention they seemed to be getting from fellow students. Her eyes fell on Violet who had stood up from her seat, blatantly staring at her and Ryan, a look of disgust on her face.

Her eyes fell on the table, a mixed group of girls and boys, all of whom looked like they had stepped out of a teen fashion catalogue, complete with expensive phone's. She noted that some of Ryan's friends appeared to be in a relationship with one another, judging by the small acts of intimacy they were engaged in, things such as a hand on the leg, or an arm draped around the waist. She blushed, her thoughts trailing back to when Ryan had asked her to prom. Her only thought had been that she didn't know him, she'd not even considered the fact that if she accepted his invite, he'd expect to touch her, to wrap his arms around her, or to hold hands as he led her to the floor. Romance and dating was more Anna's area of expertise, Elsa's experience with guys was limited to hugging her father or grandfather, or the time when she'd inadvertently held hands with Jack, and even then she'd failed to notice she was doing so, something which she could only attribute to the closeness of her and Jack's friendship, and the need to show comfort and support under the circumstances they were facing.

"Hey, guys, this is Elsa," Ryan said, calling the table to attention as he pointed to her. "Elsa, this is the gang."

Elsa nodded, smiling bashfully as the students either nodded, or waved. Sliding onto an empty chair, she slowly unwrapped her lunch, listening as a blonde girl pointed to all the occupants of the table, naming them and their various sporting or social prowess. The group paused, raising their heads long enough to acknowledge their name before returning their attention to their discussions, or phones.

"So, you're from Norway?" Ryan asked, looking at Elsa. "I had to look it up on a map, must have been quite a change for you, moving to America."

Elsa swallowed a bite of her sandwich, placing the remainder on the wrapper before looking at him. "Yes, it was a big shock for me," she admitted. "I still miss home, but there are things I like here in the U.S."

"Aren't you're friends with the Deaf kid? Like, how does that even work?" a larger boy with dirty blonde hair asked.

"I thought they were dating, I heard it from someone who heard it from someone else that Violet said they were dating," a girl, who had been introduced as Jess said.

Elsa frowned, her thoughts turning to Jack, pulling out her phone she noticed he'd still not replied to her earlier texts. Shaking her head, she slipped the phone back in her pocket, focusing her attention on Ryan and his friends, all of whom had stopped what they were doing, giving her their full attention.

"I, err, well, Jack is Deaf, and at first we just wrote notes on pieces of paper, which worked out fine for me because I wasn't very confident speaking English…" Elsa began.

"But you speak English quite well, I can understand you, and you seemingly can understand me?" another girl asked, running her fingers through her long brown hair.

Elsa blushed. "I am getting more confident now," she explained. "It was mostly when people talked too fast that I found it hard to keep up, or some of the slang words which I did not know."

"So, what's the deal with you and the Deaf kid? You didn't finish telling us." the blonde boy blurted out, staring at her. "I feel sorry for him, he can't hear music, or watch movies, I'd be lost without my music and movies."

Elsa flinched, surprised at how little the boy seemed to know. There was something in his voice, however, that told her his questions, whilst blunt and seemingly ignorant, were genuine, and he wasn't intending to appear rude.

"Jack, his name is Jack," she began. "We are friends, we met at school a few months ago and started talking, using pen and paper to write notes, or sending texts, messages on Facebook, or Skype chat, then I started to learn to sign, so I can sign with him."

She paused, watching as the table nodded, taking in what she was saying. Smiling, she continued. "You don't need to feel sorry for him, for being Deaf, it affects his hearing, but not anything else, he watches movies and TV with subtitles on, some cinemas offer closed captioning on select screenings so he can still go to the movies. Him and his other Deaf friends still do what any other teen does, they go shopping, or play video games, play jokes on each other, hang out. He's as normal as anyone else, he just can't hear."

Ryan turned to her, offering her a shy smile. "You'll have to excuse John," he said, pointing to the larger boy. "He means well, it's just he doesn't always stop to think before he talks. I talked to Jack by writing a note, and he has that guy who is always with him, signing for him."

Elsa nodded. "Hans, his interpreter." she explained. "He's nice, he looks after Jack, they get along well, and he is very protective of Jack."

"Yeah, Jack and you as well seem to be on Tyler and Violet's wrong side," John said, shooting a glance back in the direction of the bullies.

A loud snort could be heard. "Tyler and Violet don't have a 'right' side. I hate those two and their stupid friends, they are evil." a redheaded girl stated. "I saw one of the 'American idol' photo things they did, poking fun of Jack, something about his speaking voice, pure nastiness if you ask me, I wanted to punch them."

"Calm down, Merida," Jess cut in, giggling. "Don't go getting too feisty, besides, we all want to punch Violet and Tyler, you have to wait in line."

"Don't call me Merida!" the redhead scowled, pouting.

Elsa cocked her head, watching the exchange between the two girls. She was certain the redheaded girl had introduced herself as Lisa, but here she was being called Merida.

Noticing the confused look on her face, John spoke up. " Her name's Lisa," he said, pointing to the redhead. "We just call her Merida after the princess from the movie Brave because of the red hair, and the fact that she's feisty, sporty and independent, oh and she always reacts like this which makes it even more fun."

Elsa giggled, raising her hand to cover her mouth. She watched as the friends settled back in their chairs, returning to their previous conversations and leaving her to listen in. There was an ease at which they spoke, it was obvious they had a good rapport, and were all seemingly kind people, but something felt different. The things they talked about all seemed foreign to her, discussions flowing about sports, cars, to fashion and celebrities.

She looked at Ryan, who was happily engaged in a conversation about a basketball team, discussing someone whom Elsa assumed to be a player on the aforementioned team. She couldn't help but notice the nonchalant way in which he spoke, his eyes flicking around, looking at their surroundings. A stark contrast to Jack, who had to give his full attention in order to read the signs.

"Sorry, Elsa," Ryan interrupted, turning to look at her. "I'm kind of ignoring you here, it's just we can get a bit carried away with the sport talk. I should tell you, that I am the most valuable player, and captain of the basketball team for the last two seasons, so you are basically sitting with teen royalty here."

"Teen royalty, and he has the ego to go with it," Lisa teased, rolling her eyes.

Elsa smiled, unsure how to react. In the brief time she'd spent with Ryan she could sense that he was pleasant, and clearly passionate about his sport. It wasn't that he was rude, it was just different to the time when she'd first met Jack's friends, and when they'd caught up over the Christmas break. Jack and his friends made sure everyone was involved in a conversation, or felt included. If Jack and Bunny got into one of their humorous, playful, arguments then Sandy or Tia would intervene, or they would sit with Elsa, chuckling at the antics of the two teen boys.

Hanging out with Jack was completely different than being with Ryan. Everything about Jack was relaxed and easygoing. He had a way at making those who cared to approach him relax, be it by asking lots of questions, telling jokes, or just by pulling a face. Those who were lucky enough to know him could see that he was more than just a prankster. He was caring, loving, intelligent, and family orientated, he doted on his mum and sister, and lived to make those close to him happy, even if he looked like a lovable fool doing do.

Her eyes glanced to Ryan, noting the way he was currently using the front facing camera on his phone to check his reflection, smoothing his hair down before pressing the button and capturing his image. His mouth was pulled in a tight smile, so unlike Jack who would have poked his tongue out, or crossed his eyes at the last minute before loading to his Facebook page with a funny comment.

Elsa sighed, her eyes glancing back to the table where she would normally be seated with Jack beside her, engaged in an animated conversation, with the topic ranging from the serious, to the absurd. She missed him, she just wished he'd respond to her, to let her know what was going on. She knew he'd said he was sick, but she wasn't entirely convinced that he wasn't just avoiding her.

…...**~X~**...

Jack frowned, hitting delete on yet another message from Elsa. It broke his heart having to delete her messages, but he couldn't keep holding her back anymore. She deserved better than him a better friend, a better friendship circle than what he could offer her, a better life.

Sighing, he rolled over, burrowing deeper under the blankets. He'd somehow managed to trick his mum into allowing him to stay home for three days, and was hoping she'd allow him to skip school for the last day of the school week. Giving him six days without seeing Elsa, adequate time for her to get used to him not being by her side.

He knew that she was confused, the messages she was sending told him that, she mistakenly believed it to be her fault, that she had done something to offend him. Still, time would heal her wounds, they were only going to go their separate ways once high school ended anyway, after all, few high school friendships, especially ones as new as theirs lasted into adulthood. If he was lucky, she'd have taken to sitting with Ryan and his friends, a much more appropriate friendship group for her than Jack and his own oddball friends from within the Deaf community.

Jack groaned, the impact of a cushion being thrown at his head startling him. Pushing the covers back, he sat up, letting out a loud exhale as his eyes landed on Tia and Bunny, standing at the foot of his bed.

"What?" he asked. "I'm sick, guys, you can't just do that to me. What are you even doing here anyway?"

"Your mum let us in, she said you're not really sick, well apparently not sick enough to prevent you from spending time in the backyard with Emily last night." Tia explained, taking a seat on the foot of Jack's bed. "Besides, we're not here for you, we're here for Elsa."

Jack gulped, watching as Bunny took a seat on his desk chair. He knew that him and Bunny had their jokes they engaged in, but the expression on the Australian-born teens face told him that today was not one of the days where he could push his luck.

"What about Elsa?" he asked, frowning.

"Mate, it's about how you've been treating her," Bunny began, pausing to share a brief glimpse with Tia. "She's sent us messages, told us how you were acting distant to her on Monday, even more so after this Ryan guy spoke to her."

"We also know that she has been sending you messages on Facebook, Skype, and text, trying to get you to talk to her, and you've ignored her, Jack. She's going out of her mind with worry, she is convinced that she has done something to offend you, causing you to turn against her," Tia continued, frowning. "She's really hurt."

Jack shook his head, sighing. "It's for her own good," he explained. "I don't hate her, she's not done anything to offend me, it's just we can't be friends anymore."

"Why not?" Bunny asked, cocking his eyebrow. "She's great, we all love her, she fits in really well with our group, and don't you dare try and tell me you don't care for her."

Jack groaned, shaking his head. "I do care for her, I care a LOT, and that's exactly why I need to do this, I have to do what is right for her." he said.

He watched as Tia and Bunny shared a look, with Bunny shrugging his shoulders, both seemingly confused by Jack's statements. Sighing, they turned to face him.

"Explain, Jack," Tia ordered, her eyes focused on him. "You've got us all confused here. We all thought you liked Elsa, hell, we even had a bet on as to when the two of you would realise you clearly have feelings for each other and would stop beating round the bush and get together."

"Well they will never get together if Jack insists on acting like a jerk." Bunny added. "Clearly we were wrong, he doesn't care about Elsa, he never did, not if he could ignore her, giving her no reason for his behaviour, purposefully avoiding her by skipping school, leaving her with no other choice but to break down and contact us. Saddest thing is because despite, Elsa cares about you, Jack,...I don't know, maybe she isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, not if she's persisting in contacting you."

Jack glared at Bunny, pulling the stuffed toy from the corner of his bed and flinging it at the taller boy. "Don't you dare suggest Elsa is dumb," he threatened. "She's the smartest, most beautiful, kindest girl, woman, that you or anyone else could ever hope to meet, she's perfect."

Bunny lowered his gaze, staring into Jack's eyes. "Oh yeah, well then, do tell me why you are treating her like you are? If she is so beautiful, so intelligent, so kind, so perfect as you claim her to be, then why the hell are you ignoring her? Making her feel like she has done something awful. She was crying when she skyped Tia last night, Jack, she left her computer briefly to get a drink and her sister jumped on to tell us that Elsa was in tears, mate you're hurting her, a lot."

Jack felt the familiar lump rise in his throat again. He'd seen Elsa cry, but those times had been because of the actions of Violet and Tyler, and it pained him to see it. The way her pale face would redden, as the tears rolled down her cheeks, she would then hide her face, not wanting anyone to see her cry. Seeing Elsa cry was awful, and he wanted nothing more than to wrap her in his arms and protect her, to see to it that she never shed a tear again. He shook his head, trying to shake the image of Elsa crying from his mind, knowing that this time, her tears were because of him.

"It's because I love her, okay," he confessed, groaning. "There, I said it, I'm in love with her, and it's because I love her, that I have to let her go, because she deserves so much better than what I have to offer her!"

He sighed, watching as Tia and Bunny smirked, reaching out to high five each other with Jack's revelation.

"Guys, she has already had to adapt because of me, she's learning sign language, having to carry a book with her, as well as pens, paper to communicate with me, and with us. We live this way, it's all we've known, Elsa doesn't, she has her hearing, she can hear things like laughter, voices. If she were to date me, to consider a life with me then it would be different, she would have to deal with living in a home where the doorbell is different, the alarm clocks, the phones, the smoke alarms- all different. She'd have to deal with people staring at her when she talked with me, if she wanted children then she'd have to teach them to sign. I am, we are, limited, I will never hear her laugh, nor will I hear her voice, or the voice of any future children, would you want her to have that life? Because I don't, I love her too much." he explained, bowing his head.

He felt the mattress shift as Tia shuffled closer, moments later her hand reached to lightly grip his chin, tilting his head to look at her. "With all due respect, Jack," she began, smiling "But it is not your place to decide what is 'right' for Elsa's life, or what she wants from it. I know that you're not feeling well, you're feeling like you are not good enough for her, but she likes you, she truly cares for you, and she fits in well with us, we all love her, she's perfect for you."

"Yeah, and mate, you're missing the point. If Elsa didn't care about you, didn't want to spend time with you, to be in your life in one way or the other than she would not be learning sign language, she would not be giving up her spare time to learn to communicate with you, and with us, your fellow Deaf friends, via sign language." Bunny added, grinning. "Mate, you know I love to poke fun at you, but I am not joking when I tell you, that I truly believe she likes you, as in more than a friend. You just need to give her a chance, because I think you're stressing for nothing. Don't go pushing away a girl like Elsa because of your confidence, you deserve to be happy, and so does she."

Jack blushed, sniffling as he wiped back a tear. "You think she likes me?" he asked.

Bunny reached over, swatting him on the head. "Mate, I know she likes you, in fact, I will bet my life that she feels the same way about you."

"Just tell her, Jack," Tia added, beaming at him. "Don't deny her, or you, the chance at happiness."

….**~X~**...

The tears fell down Elsa's face, leaving tear stains on her face. She'd given up trying to stop them falling long ago, a small pile of tissues lay scrunched in the nearest wastepaper bin.

The last few days had been horrible for her. Jack had been absent from school for the last three days, and all attempts to contact him had gone unanswered. She had rung his mother the night before to enquire about him, the older woman had been sympathetic when saying that she would try and talk with him, but she couldn't promise anything as he'd been reluctant to discuss anything with her, giving her the excuse that he was sick and nothing more.

Frustrated, Elsa had then reached out to Bunny and Tia, contacting the two online, expressing her hurt and confusion and begging them to help her understand what she had done. To her relief, the duo had agreed to go visit Jack, to try and find out what was going on and report back to Elsa.

She had continued to eat lunch with Ryan and his friends at their table, and whilst the group always greeted her with a warm smile, there was something lacking. She felt like an intruder at their table, and Ryan, nice as he was, just couldn't fill the emptiness she felt without Jack. On the surface he was a lovely guy, attractive, outgoing, active, but he lacked the joy for life that Jack had, the enthusiasm. The way Ryan would talk to her, asking her a question about herself only to cut her off and resume talking about himself, listing his skills, and possessions, almost like they were what defined him troubled her, it was like he was playing the role of the person he thought people wanted instead of focusing on who he really was.

She knew that Ryan was clearly interested in her, he'd made no secret of his desire to take her on a date, or to the prom, but he was dull. His hair was too perfect, and he cared too much about things such as appearance, and social popularity for her liking. There was no laughter with him like there was with Jack, no lopsided grin which lit his face up, no bright blue eyes which shined when he spoke, heck, even his hair was too formal for her, all perfectly styled, so unlike Jack with his tousled silver-grey hair which made him look even more adorable and endearing. All she knew was that she didn't want to go to prom with Ryan, she was certain he would make a fine prom date, just not for her.

A knock on her door broke Elsa from her thoughts. Straightening up, she called for the person to enter.

"Elsa" Anna called, crossing the room with two mugs of hot chocolate. "Are you okay?"

Elsa shrugged, reaching to take a mug off of Anna. "Define okay," she muttered, taking a sip of the hot drink.

Anna frowned, shuffling to sit beside Elsa on the bed. "Jack still ignoring you?" she asked, cursing as a drop of her drink spilled onto her top.

Elsa nodded. "I've tried everything, I even messaged Bunny and Tia, asking them for any suggestions and all has been useless. He refuses to answer me, and I can't handle it, I don't know what I did to make him like this, to make him hate me," she sobbed.

"El, he doesn't hate you," Anna murmured. "I don't know what his deal is, but I know that he doesn't hate you, far from it."

Elsa sniffed, choking back a tear. "Well he's sure not acting like he likes me is he? He won't tell me anything, I have no freaking idea what I've done, and don't you dare try and tell me that it's got nothing to do with me, because I know he's been talking to Tia, Bunny and Sandy like normal, I've seen his posts on their Facebook, heard from Tia that he's been talking to them. All I know was that he went quiet on Monday, and then left when I got caught up talking to Ryan," Elsa protested.

"Didn't you say he stormed out and was glaring at you when you were talking to Ryan on Monday?" Anna asked, placing her empty mug down on the bedside table.

Elsa nodded. "Yeah, he did, it was so weird, the only time I've seen him look that angry was when Violet pushed me over, all those weeks ago, you know when he spoke?" she said.

She felt Anna turn, the younger girl eagerly gripping her arm, a wide grin on her face. "Oh my god, oh my god, I knew it, I freaking knew it!" she shrieked.

"Firstly, Anna, can you loosen your grip please, it's kind of tight?" Elsa began, furrowing her brows. "Secondly, you know what exactly?"

Anna shook her head, relaxing her grip on Elsa's arm. "Jack is jealous," she explained. "He's not mad at you, he's jealous, of Ryan."

Elsa shook her head. "Anna, that's preposterous," she protested. "I didn't even know Ryan's name until Monday, and we were just talking, he asked me to prom, and then Jack left, without even knowing what we were talking about."

"But it makes sense, the way he left, the dirty looks you said he was giving. I'm willing to bet my last dollar that he was glaring at Ryan, not you." Anna countered, crossing her arms. "Ryan's the cutie with the brown hair isn't he?"

Elsa nodded, bringing her legs up to her chest.

"I think Jack felt threatened," Anna went on. "Ever since you first met it's been you and him, and you two are good friends, you're close, and suddenly this guy, Ryan, comes on the scene, and he's popular, good looking, and he wants you to go to prom with him. I think Jack is scared he's going to lose you to Ryan, and I think in some weird way he's trying to lessen the potential hurt to him by putting up barriers, pushing you away."

"But how could he know Ryan asked me to prom? Or my thoughts on Ryan if he's not talking to me," she asked. "More to the point, why does he think he's going to 'lose me' to him, or to anyone he's like my best friend in this country."

Anna groaned, leaning back against the headboard of Elsa's bed. "Elsa, do you like Ryan? As in like, like him, do you fancy him?" she asked. "Answer me truthfully."

Elsa shook her head. "He's nice, but he's..he's…" she stammered.

"He's what, Elsa,?" Anna probed. "He's not Jack."

Elsa sighed. "He's a really nice guy, and he's obviously handsome, but he's just not fun like Jack is. He doesn't have the same enthusiasm for life, it's like he's too caught up in how he looks, and how he appears to other people. He seems to think he needs to impress me by being a good sports player, or driving a nice car, having expensive products, all superficial stuff," she explained. "He's friendly and his friends are nice enough, it's just, he's not Jack, and it's not the same as being with Jack, or with Bunny, Tia or Sandy."

Anna nodded, reaching to squeeze Elsa's shoulders. "What makes Jack better than Ryan, in your opinion?" she asked, softly.

Elsa looked at her, raising her eyebrow. "Jack is...he's Jack," she said, pausing to think. "He's kind, caring, funny, he puts everyone else first, he's not afraid to look silly, not if it will make someone else feel better, and when you talk to him, he really pays attention, and not just because he has to in order to know what you're saying, but because he truly cares, and I know that with him I am safe, he will always do what he can to protect me, and I will protect him, he's...he's"

"Your best friend," Anna suggested, resting her head on Elsa's shoulder. "He's also got that dopey looking grin he does when he wants to get out of trouble with you, and you fall for it every time."

Elsa groaned. "Oh, I know, it's those eyes of his, they are just the most beautiful shade of blue, and then that grin, and his hair, like how it always manages to look like he just woke up, despite the fact I've seen him brush it," she gushed. "I just..I.."

"You love him?" Anna whispered, her voice barely audible.

"I do," Elsa admitted, her eyes widening as she realised what she had just said.

"Anna," she began, turning to look at the younger girl. "What did I do?"

Anna chuckled, reaching to hug Elsa. "You just admitted that you love Jack, which to be honest, was pretty much obvious, I mean even Emily who is nine called it." she said.

"I can't love him, Anna, I mean we're friends," she protested. "You're the one who has knowledge about these things, I just, I'm scared."

Anna smiled, tightening her grip on Elsa. "Don't be scared, Elsa, he loves you, I really think it's him dealing with his own feelings for you, and fear of rejection, coupled with slight jealousy, that he could lose you to Ryan…."

The sound of a text message coming through, interrupted Anna. Frowning, Elsa reached over, swiping at the screen. She felt her heart rate rise as she saw the message was from Tia.

Biting her lip, she read the message. reading how Tia and Bunny had approached Jack, confronting him about his behaviour towards Elsa, only for Jack to break down, admitting that he was in love with Elsa, but felt she couldn't love him in return, because of him being Deaf. In order to cope with his insecurities, Jack had felt that distancing himself from Elsa would be the best course of action, he was trying to protect himself from the fear of rejection.

Blushing, she handed the phone to Anna, letting her read the text from Tia. She could feel herself getting giddy, as the words she had read sunk in. She loved Jack, he wasn't just her best friend, he was the guy she had fallen in love with, and Jack loved her.

"So, what does this mean?" Anna asked, smiling widely. "Asides from the fact that you two really took your sweet time admitting your feelings for each other."

Elsa blushed, springing from her bed and rifling through her wardrobe for her coat. "It means, she said, slipping on her shoes. "That I need to go to Jack."


	11. Chapter 11

Elsa could feel the adrenaline pumping through her as she raced down the stairs, taking two stairs at a time until she had reached the first floor of their home.

Bursting into the lounge room, she found her mother, curled up on the couch, sipping at a cup of coffee whilst she flicked through a magazine.

"Mum," Elsa called, crossing the room to stand in front of her. "Can you please take me to see Jack?"

Frowning, Lillian lifted her head, her eyes flicking to the clock on the wall. "Elsa! It's almost 5pm," she pointed out. "I am having one last break before I make a start on dinner, I am not taking you to see Jack at this time, besides your father is due to get home in the next half hour."

Elsa paused, her eyes flicking to Anna who had raced into the room, frantically pulling her own coat on.

"Please, Mum," Elsa whispered, wringing her hands. "It's really important, I have to go see Jack. I've not seen him since Monday, and there's been a really big misunderstanding, which I need to sort it out."

"Can't it wait until tomorrow?" Lillian asked, furrowing her brows.

Elsa shook her head, opening her mouth to speak, only to be cut off by Anna who had come to stand beside her, her mum's purse and car keys in hand.

"It can't wait, Mum," Anna explained, wrapping her arm around Elsa's waist. "Trust me, this is really, really, really, important. Also, it needs to be done before Elsa loses all of her confidence."

Lillian sighed, swallowing the last of her coffee. "Let me guess, neither of you are going to leave me alone until I give in, are you?" she quipped.

Elsa grinned, shooting a knowing look at Anna.

"Nope, it really is in everyone's best interest for you to say yes," Anna teased. "Also, if you say yes, it will make you the best mum ever."

Getting to her feet, Lillian let out a loud exhale. "Anna, ring your father and let him know we'll be out, and that I'll pick us something to eat on the way home," she ordered. "Elsa, ring Caroline and let her know that we're on our way. I expect that we'll get a full explanation once we get to the Frost home."

…..**~X~**...

Jack could feel the anxiety rising as he tore around his room, furiously shoving dirty clothes out of sight. No sooner had Bunny and Tia left, had his mum burst in, announcing that Elsa was on her way for an impromptu visit.

Pausing in front of the mirror, he frowned. His eyes settling on the dirty pyjama pants he'd worn for the last three days. He groaned, flinging open his wardrobe and pulling out a pair of clean track-pants along with some fresh underwear and a t-shirt. Lifting his arms, he took a whiff, grateful for the decision to shower earlier in the day.

Once dressed, he made his way back to the mirror, digging around his chest of drawers until he found a can of deodorant and a hairbrush.

There had been something suspicious in the way Bunny and Tia had been quick to depart. They had only just gotten him to confess his feelings for Elsa, when Tia had pulled out her phone, sending a text to an unnamed contact. Moments later the text recipient had replied, causing Tia to show the text to Bunny, the two exchanging a knowing look before getting to their feet and announcing that they had to leave.

Something had changed in the thirty minutes since Jack had come clean about his feelings. Suddenly he felt the need to look better, more presentable for Elsa. His dirty, stained pyjama's may have been acceptable for Bunny and Tia to see, but not for Elsa, not now.

The flash of light let him know that the doorbell had rung. Stepping over to the window, he peered out. His eyes falling on the Andersen car parked in the driveway.

Gulping, he let himself out the room, his iPad in hand as he descended the stairs. He could feel his heart beating as he neared the living room.

Rounding the corner, he saw her, standing bashfully beside her mother who was deep in conversation with his mum. Anna and Emily were standing to the side, a knowing smile on bot of their faces.

"Elsa, hi," he said, giving her a shy smile.

Jack watched as she bit her lip, her eyes darting between him and her sister. Slowly, Elsa took a step back, blinking as she opened her mouth, before closing it. He felt his heart sink, the last time he'd seen her this nervous around him was the day they first met, when they had both feared the other was sent to hurt them.

"Elsa," he spoke, taking a step towards her. "Please."

Lifting her head, she looked at him, her mouth opened as she took a deep breath. "Can we talk?" she asked. "Alone?"

He nodded, beckoning her to follow him. Pausing, he turned to let his mum know that the would be in his room, door left open, as per the agreed upon rules.

…**~X~...**

Elsa felt her confidence slipping. When she'd approached her mum about coming to Jack's she was so sure of herself, she knew exactly what needed to be said, to tell him that she knew he had feelings for her, and that it was his confidence that had seen him pull back, fearing rejection from her.

Now, sitting on his bed, her back resting against his headboard, and her ASL book to her side, she wasn't as sure of herself. Jack had taken a seat opposite her on the bed, laying the iPad open to the note application. His hand rubbing over the back of his neck, a nervous habit of his.

She bit her lip, unsure about what to say. A part of her wanted to bring up the fact that he had hurt her, his silence over the last few days had left her miserable, fearing that she'd upset him. Another part of her wanted to jump straight to the point, to tell him that she knew he'd admitted to having feelings for her, and for his own insecurities to have led him to try and push her away. Still, she felt that she needed to hear it from him, and in doing so, she needed to be honest with him about her own feelings.

"Elsa," Jack spoke, his voice breaking her from her thoughts. "I'm so, so, sorry"

Elsa nodded, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall. "You hurt me," she replied, flipping through her book until she found the sign she needed. "I thought I had offended you somehow."

She heard Jack sigh, watching as he shook his head. "No," he admitted. "You could never hurt me. I was a jerk, I'm sorry."

"So, what happened?" she asked. "To make you leave, and ignore me."

Jack groaned, leaning back against the wall. "It's a long story," he replied.

"Please, tell me, Jack" Elsa pleaded. "I think I have a right to know."

Jack grabbed the iPad, carefully resting it on his lap. "It may be easier for me to type," he explained. "We don't have a lot of time, and you're right, I do owe you an explanation."

Elsa nodded, watching as Jack hastily typed on the touch-screen keyboard, a faint blush dusting his cheeks.

….**~X~...**

Blushing, Jack handed the iPad to Elsa. He could feel his heart pounding as she looked down, furrowing her brows as she read what he'd typed. He'd decided to stick to the key points, letting her know how Ryan had approached him on Monday before lunch, how he'd gotten her name and nationality wrong prior to asking Jack if they were dating, stating that he intended to ask Elsa to prom.

"_Is all of this, the days off, because Ryan asked me to prom?" _ Elsa asked.

"Kind of," he replied. "There is more to it though."

He watched as Elsa pulled her phone out, scrolling through and pulling up a message, handing it to him. "Is this true?" she asked.

Gulping, he read through the message Tia had sent Elsa, letting her know that he had confessed his feelings for her. "Yes, it's true, I like you, a lot" he confessed. "I'm sorry, I know you probably hate me now, and that you're going to prom with Ryan, and I'm not good enough for you."

Sniffing, he turned his head, a part of him was glad that the truth was out, that Elsa now knew he liked her. The other part of him was terrified, fearful of the rejection that was bound to come.

He felt Elsa's hand reach out, softly tapping at his hand. Reluctantly, he turned to face her, swallowing the lump which had formed in his throat.

"Jack," Elsa began, smiling. "I'm not going to prom with Ryan, he's nice, but he is not who I want to go to prom with."

He looked at her, furrowing his brows. "You don't? Why not? He's popular, and all the girls like him," he pointed out.

Elsa shook her head, smiling shyly. "He's not you," she replied.

Jack could feel his cheeks heating up, his eyes flicked between Elsa and the ASL book which lay open to her side. He contemplated asking her to repeat herself, maybe even type the message out on the iPad so he could be sure she'd signed the correct words,

"Me?" he repeated, staring at Elsa. "You want to go with me?"

…**~X~...**

Elsa nodded, her eyes flicking between Jack's eyes, and his lips.

"I like you, Jack," she admitted. "A lot"

She watched as Jack's eyes widened, his mouth pulling into the lopsided grin that she'd come to know and love. Shuffling closer, she reached her hand out to lightly cup his chin, her heart pounding as she leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

Breaking apart, she gasped as realisation of what she had just done washed over her. Hastily she climbed off the bed, mentally scolding herself. Never in her life had she been so bold, and now she had gone and kissed Jack. She could feel the panic rising, sure, he'd admitted to liking her, but it was possible that she'd kissed him too soon, after all, they had a lot of things which they still needed to discuss. She could feel her cheeks heating up, as she moved to grab her book.

Turning around, she found herself face to face with Jack, a tinge of blush dotting his cheeks. "Don't go,' he spoke, reaching for her.

Elsa gulped, biting her lip as Jack's hand gripped hers, his spare hand grabbed her book, taking it and placing it back on the bed, before snaking around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She could feel her heart racing as she looked at him, watching as he leaned in, pressing a kiss to her lips.

Slowly, she wrapped her arms around his neck, raising her hand to rest against the back of his head, deepening the kiss. Trembling slightly when Jack tightened his grip on her, pressing her body against his.

The sound of high pitched giggles coming from the door caused her to break the kiss, turning her head to see her sister and Emily standing, hands on their hips as they took in the sight in front of them. Blushing, Jack dropped his arms from her waist, moving to stand beside her as Anna and Emily entered the room, a wide smile on both their faces.

"Called it," Anna smirked, watching as Emily signed for Jack. "I knew you'd end up making out."

"What do you want?" Jack spoke, running a hand through his tousled hair.

"Mum said to let you know that the Andersen's are staying for dinner," Emily said. "We're having Chinese take out, so she asked that you come and check the menu in case there's anything special you want to order."

Elsa shook her head, a wide smile crossing her face as she watched her sister and Emily playfully push each other in their rush to leave the room. She knew that by the time her and Jack made it to the lounge room that their parents would know about the kiss.

She felt Jack reach down to tap her arm, as he shifted to stand in front of her. "So, will you go to prom with me?" he asked, furrowing his brow.

Elsa smiled. "I'd love to," she beamed, reaching over to hug him.

…**~X~...**

Jack lay on his back, the covers pulled tightly around him as he thought back over the events of the afternoon and evening.

As he'd expected, Emily and Anna had run into the lounge room, eagerly informing their respective parents that they had walked in on him and Elsa kissing. To his surprise, both his mum, and Elsa's parents had been supportive, claiming that they had long suspected the two teens had feelings for each other.

The Andersen's had stayed until 9pm, giving him and Elsa plenty of time to talk. After dinner they had retreated to his room, with Elsa filling him on the events of the last few days, telling him how she had spent time at Ryan's table, getting to know him a bit more. Jack had felt a pang of jealousy arise, until Elsa had continued, going on to tell him how despite Ryan and his friends kindness, it had been clear to her that they were two different people.

Rolling over, he reached for the alarm, checking that he'd set it in time for school the following day. His mother had already emailed Hans, letting him know that Jack would be attending school the following day.

Jack ran his fingers over his lips, smiling as he remembered how Elsa had kissed him, not once, but twice. He shook his head, scarcely believing how in a matter of hours he'd gone from believing that it was best to keep his distance from Elsa, to holding her in his arms, kissing her. He'd even asked her to their school prom, an event that had held no interest to him, until now.

He watched as his phone lit up, alerting him to a new text message. Reaching over, he swiped at the screen, grinning when he saw that it was Elsa, telling him to check his bedside drawer and that she'd see him tomorrow morning.

Sitting up, he flicked the bedside light on, pulling open the drawer. His eyes fell on a folded piece of notepaper with his name written on in Elsa's neat handwriting. Grinning, he pulled the paper, unfolding it and reading the message she'd left for him.

"_Jack, you may not feel that you're 'good' enough for me, but I know for a fact that is not true. The truth is, you're perfect for me, you mean more to me than you know~ Elsa". _

He sighed, knowing that he still had to admit the true extent of his low confidence to Elsa. Despite her revelation that she liked him as much as he liked her, there was still the fact that he feared she wouldn't want to be with him long term, not with the changes that it would mean for her life. Still, he knew that it was only the beginning, giving him plenty of time, he hoped, to broach the subject with her.

Tonight, he wanted to focus on the positive, that someone as perfect as Elsa liked him as much as he liked her.

…_.._**~X~**...

Elsa grinned, watching as Anna pulled the bedroom door shut behind her. The younger girl had spent the last thirty minutes pleading with Elsa to reveal the details about her her and Jack's kisses. Her attempts had been thwarted when Lillian had burst in, ordering the girls to go to bed.

Lying down, Elsa raised her fingers to her lips, her mind going over the events of the last few hours, and the changes that had come from them.

The rest of the night had been a pleasant affair with the Andersens sharing dinner with the Frosts, before Elsa and Jack excused themselves to talk some more. Together they had gone over the events of the last few days, with her admitting that it had been her time spent with Ryan and his friends that had really helped her see the true extent of her feelings for Jack, revealing that despite being a perfectly nice guy, Ryan had left her feeling bored, and missing Jack.

Elsa and Jack both realised that things had changed, the dynamic in their friendship had shifted with the admittal of romantic feelings, and whilst they couldn't deny they had both liked the kisses they'd shared, they also wanted to take care to ensure that the friendship they had built would not be lost in the excitement of their burgeoning romance. The two of them had decided to keep the nature of their new relationship a secret, with only their parents, Anna, Emily, and Bunny and Tia to know about the change, wanting to give them the time they felt they needed to get used to the new direction they were headed in.

To her relief, her parents had been supportive, with Lillian revealing on the ride home that her and Caroline had long suspected that Jack and Elsa had feelings for each other. Although, she warned Elsa, that friend or not, Walt still intended to act as the protective father and give Jack 'the speech' prior to letting him whisk Elsa away to the prom, claiming that it was one of the perks of fatherhood.

Elsa shut her eyes, still not believing that she was going to the prom. In the last few weeks she had heard about it, seen the posters which decorated the school. However, she had never held much interest in it, Jack hadn't said anything to indicate that he intended to go, and she knew there was no way she'd want to attend without Jack, he was, after all, her first, and best friend in America.

Elsa rolled over, pulling the blankets tighter around her. She felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, one that she'd not realised she'd been carrying around, one that had only left once she'd been honest with herself, and with Jack.

**A/Note- Ahh, so they finally did it, they kissed. They've still not gotten everything sorted, and in the next chapter we'll learn a bit more about how they are handling the shift in their relationship. Jack's confidence issues are still there and in time they will be revealed to Elsa, giving her the chance to respond to them.**

I'd like to do a shout out to Zulka who has recently started posting two of her own Jelsa stories. Zulka is someone who has been an incredible help to me with this story, so if you're looking for some new stories to read, check out her profile :). 


	12. Chapter 12

A month had passed since Jack and Elsa had admitted their feelings for each other and in that time the new couple had stayed true to their word and had taken things slow. Neither of them wanted to risk jinxing their friendship or new relationship by rushing things.

Their new status had remained unknown by their classmates, with the two refraining from any behaviour that hinted at a more 'intimate' relationship whilst on school grounds. They continued to sit together as normal, and met up after school to walk to the Andersen's home with Anna, or catch a ride with Mrs Frost and Emily. Asides from that, there was no sign that the two were more than good friends- no hand-holding, no declarations of love on stationery, and no stolen kisses.

Elsa had been the focus of curious glances, and intrigue for a few days, ever since word had gotten out that she had declined Ryan's invite to attend the prom with him. The popular basketball star was considered to be amongst the most eligible of students within the school, with many girls confessing to having a crush on him, and so the fact that the newcomer had turned him down was the topic of much gossip and speculation amongst the student body. Elsa had approached Ryan the day after she'd shared her first kiss with Jack, telling him that whilst she appreciated his kind invitation, she would have to decline, wishing to spend the night with her best friend. To his honour, Ryan, had accepted Elsa's refusal with good grace, simply nodding and wishing her to have a good night, however she chose to spend it.

It was only once the duo had reached a certain distance away from the school that they would allow their defences to drop, with Jack's hand shyly reaching to grip Elsa's, a small blush on his face as his fingers interlocked with her own. They would walk in silence, exchanging coy looks, until Anna stopped in her tracks, having realised that she'd managed to lose the duo, and wait, her arms on her hips as she stared at the couple, pulling out her phone and snapping yet another photo.

In the privacy of their respective homes it was a different story, with the new couple using the time to sit closer to each other, enjoying a few more kisses until they were interrupted by either their respective younger sibling, or their amused parents. Slowly, but surely getting used to acting so intimate with each other.

….**~X~**...

Jack groaned, watching as the sales assistant laid out yet another possible outfit for him.

It was not yet midday and already he regretted agreeing to go shopping for his prom outfit with his mother. The older woman had raised the idea the night before, telling him that she planned to take him to check out suits and shoes. Jack had nodded his head in approval, his mind preoccupied with visions of enjoying his usual Saturday sleep in and waking mid morning, enjoying a leisurely breakfast before heading to a shop, pulling a suit off the rack and having it all over and done with in under an hour.

To his dismay, his mum had a completely different idea of prom shopping. She had burst into his room, shaking him awake at 7am and telling him she expected him to be dressed, fed and in the car by 8am. From there she had driven him to a suit shop in a neighbouring suburb, forcing him to try on a selection of suits before shaking her head, claiming them to be unsuitable, and dragging him to yet another formal wear shop.

By the time they had reached the third store, Jack was over it. He'd tried on multiple suits, and had been poked and prodded so many times by assistants with tape measures, and his own mother that he was ready to give in. He'd thought suit shopping would be simple, just walk in, try on a suit and it either fits or it doesn't, but, he'd been wrong, it turned out their was a lot to consider when buying a suit.

Not only was price a factor in the suit he'd wear, but also colour. Jack had been surprised to learn that there wasn't just black and grey, but varying shades of grey. Same went with the white dress shirt that he'd need to wear. Asides from the colour, he also had to consider the cut of the suit, the number of buttons that he'd have on the jacket, and whether to go for a waistcoat and jacket combination, or just the dress shirt and jacket. Then, once the suit had been selected he'd have to find the dress shoes. Slowly, but surely, Jack was beginning to realise why many men seemed reluctant to attend formal events.

"That's it, I'm just going in my jeans and t-shirt," Jack groaned, furrowing his brows as his mother turned away yet another suit option.

"Oh no you are not," Caroline replied. "No way in hell am I letting my first born go to his senior prom with his very first girlfriend in jeans and a tattered t-shirt, besides, you're going to want to look nice for Elsa."

Jack raised his eyebrow, watching was his mum selected two suits from the rack the sales assistant had dragged out. His hand tugged on the hem of his prized Batman t-shirt, noting the small rip that had appeared on the side.

"I want to go see Elsa at some point today," he protested, eyeing the clock in the background.

His mother sighed, handing the suits to Emily so she could reply. "Elsa, is out doing her own shopping for the prom. I've already heard from Lillian, she will let us know the colour of Elsa's dress so we can organise your corsage as well," she replied. "If you don't give me too much grief today then you can invite Elsa over to our place tomorrow."

Jack grinned, taking a step back when his sister placed the suits in his hands. "Can we at least go to the Andersen's house so I can see Anna?" she asked, rolling her eyes. "If it's only Elsa then Jack will just take her to his room to kiss her, like he does every time they are alone."

Poking his tongue out, he moved to hand the suits back in his mother's hands so he could respond, only for the older woman to shake her head, pointing him in the direction of the changing room with a fixed stare.

Gulping, Jack slid his clothes off, saying a silent prayer as he pulled the first suit on, buttoning it up and turning to admire himself in the mirror before stepping out and showing his mum and the sales assistant, allowing the two women to tinker with the suit, poking and pulling at it before sending him back in to try the second suit on.

Moments later he'd tried the last suit of the current selection on, a simple black suit with a white dress shirt. Looking at his reflection, it appeared to be a nice fit, the pants weren't too long or too short, the sleeves seemed a decent length, and it fit him. Still, there had been several other suits he'd felt fit the criteria only for his mother to frown, and shake her head, declaring them to be 'wrong'.

He pushed back the curtain, stepping out to parade in front of his waiting mother. Biting his lip as his mother spun him around, bending her head to look at him, before bursting into a wide smile, nodding her head.

"This is perfect," she said, smiling. "Do you like it?"

Jack nodded. "I guess so, I mean, it's a suit, I've never worn one before, but, it feels nice enough and seems to fit," he replied.

He watched as his mum turned to let the sales assistant know they'd found the perfect fit, before pulling out her phone and snapping a photo. "Sending a picture to Lillian," she explained. "Not every day my baby gets to look all grown up."

Jack rolled his eyes, darting into the change room before his mother could become too preoccupied with pointing out how quickly he was growing up.

He let out a sigh of relief, pushing back the curtain and making his way to the counter with the chosen suit, stopping to playfully nudge his sister, who stood, eyes focused on her handheld Nintendo console.

Glancing up, his eyes fell on the price, flinching a little at the price, he reached over, tugging at his mum's elbow. "Mum, are you sure?" he asked, indicating to the price. "It's almost $230 and we still need shoes!"

Caroline smiled, reaching over to press a kiss to his forehead, before pulling back and looking at him. "Jack, this is a really special event in your life, I can handle it, I've got some money saved, besides, your dad's parents sent me some money for you and Emily for Christmas, so yes, I'm sure."

Jack nodded, pulling out his phone so he could send a text to Elsa, letting her know he'd been poked, prodded and bored senseless, but had managed to finally find a suit that his mother deemed acceptable. He glanced at the message, furrowing his brows before adding an 'XO' to it to it, the text equivalent of a kiss and hug.

…..**~X~**...

Elsa yawned, her eyes glancing at the watch she wore before pulling yet another dress off the rack.

Her mother and Anna had decided a few days ago that they would spend Saturday taking Elsa to find her prom dress. Apparently Lillian had gone one further and put the idea to go prom shopping in Caroline Frost's head, because Jack had sent her a message letting her know that he was also shopping for their upcoming prom.

Whilst Elsa loved both her mother and sister, she couldn't deny that shopping for clothes with the two of them was downright exhausting. Lillian and Anna meant well, but their taste in fashion was different, and both had varying ideas of what would suit Elsa. Lillian had hinted to Anna that she should stay home, enjoy a day of rest, but the younger girl had steadfastly removed, claiming that this was the closest she'd get to her own prom, least for another three years and that she had to be a part of Elsa's shopping experience.

They had travelled into the heart of the city to check out some of the formal dresses on offer. So far they had visited three stores, leaving two dresses on the 'maybe' list, and were currently checking out the range of dresses in a fourth, smaller store.

"Anna, I keep telling you, there is no way in hell that your father would agree to a slit that high," Lillian argued, pointing to the dark blue dress Anna had held up. "I know him, and if Elsa came home in that he would have that slit stapled or sewn up at the very least."

"But, Mum," Anna whined. "It's so pretty and it would suit Elsa."

"No 'But Mum' here, Anna, it's non negotiable, that dress is not an option." Lillian stated, turning her back.

Elsa shrugged, turning her attention back to the racks of clothing, ignoring the sounds of her sister and mother as they continued their current argument. She didn't have the heart to tell Anna that whilst the dress was pretty, it wasn't quite to her liking.

The sound of a text coming through on her mother's phone interrupted her, pausing, she turned to face her mum, curious as to whom it may be. A few seconds later her own phone beeped, reaching down, she fumbled in her handbag, pulling out her phone to read a message from Jack, letting her know that he'd just purchased his suit for prom.

"That was Caroline," Lillian explained. "She was just letting me know that they've just purchased Jack's suit, she even sent a photo of him in it."

"You got a photo? Let me see!" she blurted, moving to stand beside her mum. "I want to see what he looks like."

"Me too, I can't imagine Jack in a suit, I want to see," Anna giggled, moving to grab at her mum's arm.

Elsa frowned, gently pushing Anna out the way and standing beside her mum. "Back off, Anna," she ordered, poking her tongue out. "He's my boyfriend"

Her eyes widened as she looked at the image on the screen. There was no denying that Jack looked hot in the black suit, so different to his normal everyday outfit of jeans and a t-shirt. Although, she couldn't help but feel relieved when she noticed the way he was posing, with his tongue poking out, and the cheeky glint in his eyes that she loved so much. "He looks good," she added, smiling at her mum.

"He's poking his tongue out!" Anna exclaimed, grabbing the phone from her mum.

Elsa chuckled. "Well of course, it is Jack, what did you expect?" she pointed out.

Turning, she walked towards a rack of dresses at the back of the shop. Her eyes falling on a collection of mint green dresses. Flipping through, she pulled out one in her size, admiring the softness of the material. The dress was gorgeous, a long halter dress with an open back, empire waist, and an embellished keyhole neckline leading to beaded halter strap.

Grabbing the dress, she made her way to the change room, managing to slip into the room unnoticed by her mother and sister. She peeled her clothes off, carefully stepping into the dress and zipping it up. Noting with delight how the dress fit her perfectly, the hem of the skirt resting at her ankles, long enough to be classy, but not too long that she'd spend her evening worrying about stepping on it.

She pushed open the curtain, stepping out into the store and clearing her throat.

"Elsa!" Anna gasped, her jaw dropping. "You look amazing, that dress is…"

"Perfect," Lillian interrupted, smiling widely. "That dress looks beautiful on you, love, do you like it?"

Elsa nodded, smiling shyly. "I love it, this is it, this is the one," she said. "It's not too expensive either."

"Jack's going to be speechless," Anna added, smiling wildly. "I can't wait until he sees you in the dress."

Elsa blushed, excusing herself to change back into her jeans and t-shirt. Carefully she hung the dress onto the hanger before making her way to the counter, rolling her eyes as she listened to her mum on the phone, gushing with Caroline Frost over how fast their 'babies' were growing up.

….**~X~**...

Jack groaned, watching as Elsa led his mother and sister, as well as her own mum and sister into her room before closing the door, leaving him standing alone in the empty hall.

He'd tried in vain for most of Saturday evening to convince Elsa to show him her prom dress when they had been chatting online. Each time he asked she'd refuse, telling him that he'd have to wait the month until prom night before he saw it. He knew from the text her mum had sent his mum that the dress was a mint- green colour, and that his mum had decided he would need to get her a simple white corsage, but that was all he knew.

Jack had hoped that by the time he'd arrived at the Andersen house that morning, that Elsa would change her mind. He'd even tried sneaking into her room when she was in the bathroom, only for Walt Andersen to catch him, clamping his hand on Jack's shoulder and sternly marching him out of the room before wagging his finger in Jack's face, reminding the frustrated teen of the 'no entry' rule he had in place for Elsa's room.

Stepping back, he leaned against the wall, his arms crossed whilst he waited for the door to open and for the girls to exit the room.

He felt a tap on his hand, blinking he looked up, smiling when he noticed the door to Elsa's room was once again open. "The dress is beautiful, you're going to love it," his mum said, smiling at him.

Jack nodded, his face breaking into a smile, watching as his mother, Lillian Andersen, Anna and Emily headed down the stairs, leaving him and Elsa alone.

"I still want to see it," he cried, pouting at her.

"Patience, Jack, you need patience," Elsa teased. "You only have to wait four more weeks, besides, haven't you heard that good things come to those who wait?"

Sighing, Jack reached out, pulling her towards him and wrapping his arms around her waist. He felt her arms wrap around his neck as he leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

Breaking apart, he looked at her, noting the faint blush that had appeared on her pale cheeks. "Now can I see the dress?" he pleaded. "I promise I'll say nice things about you."

Laughing, he watched as Elsa stepped out of his grip, reaching to swat at his head before pausing to stare at him. "Four weeks, Jackson, if you don't shut up about the dress it won't be the only thing that you'll be missing out on," she sassed, winking at him.

**A/N- Ahh getting so close to the prom. The next chapter will be a time skip of four weeks again, and will be the big prom chapter. As always, have a great day, thank you all for your reviews, and for taking the time to read this. Keep calm and ship Jelsa. **


	13. Chapter 13

Elsa smiled, reaching over to turn the tap off, ceasing the flow of water from the shower and putting an end to her moment of peace.

After a long four weeks, the time had finally come for her and Jack's prom, bringing with it a mixture of emotions. Elsa and Jack had somehow managed to keep their blossoming relationship, and planned attendance at the prom a secret from their fellow students. Spurred on, in part by the cruel taunting of Violet and Tyler who had taken to telling the pair that their presence at the prom would not be welcomed. Violet in particular had taken great delight in telling Elsa that Ryan had only asked her to the prom as part of a cruel bet, a rumour that the young man had vehemently denied.

As the date had neared, Elsa had found herself questioning her decision to attend, wondering if it may be best to simply stay home where she and Jack could curl up on the couch with a pizza, possibly invite his friends Aster and Tia to visit, and enjoy a relaxed, low key night. However, upon discussing it with Tia, they had been denied, with the young girl stating that Jack and Elsa deserved to attend their prom, and that they shouldn't let a few bad seeds keep them from enjoying themselves.

"Elsa," Anna's cheery voice called, snapping Elsa from her thoughts. "Can I come in?"

Elsa rolled her eyes, pulling a towel off the rack and patting herself dry. "Can you give me a minute, Anna? I only just stepped out the shower!" she replied.

"Well, can you hurry up?" Anna groaned. "We need to get you dressed, and you need to moisturise, and then there's hair and makeup, and you should probably eat something, oh and photo's, we still need to take photo's of you, as well as some nice couple snaps of you and Jack, and of course it's not just our parents who will want to take photo's, Mrs Frost will probably want to take some as well, so yeah, we're kind of running out of time here, Elsa….."

She chuckled, shaking her head as her sister's voice trailed off. She could almost picture Anna, mentally checking off the things that still needed to be done, the younger girl had been a bundle of excitement all morning, seemingly more enthusiastic for the prom than Elsa was and had insisted on being involved in every aspect of the day.

No sooner had Elsa woken up, had she been whisked off to the mall by Anna who had somehow convinced their mother to spring for mother-daughters manicure and pedicure, before she proceeded to drag them round the supermarket, stocking up on a variety of face creams and moisturisers. Naturally, Anna had insisted on documenting everything, taking photo's of everything, from Elsa's waking expression, to Elsa choosing a nail polish colour, even convincing the manicurist to snap a photo of the sisters and their mother sitting in the chair. Elsa had shot a confused look at her mum who had simply shrugged, telling her to just let Anna 'be Anna'.

A few seconds later and Elsa had stepped out the bathroom, her towel wrapped tightly round her slender body. She grimaced, ignoring the sight of Anna, camera poised as she clicked away, snapping a series of photo's of a freshly cleaned Elsa.

"Anna, no one wants to see a photo of me fresh out the shower," she reasoned, turning her head to avoid the camera. "I'm only in a towel for crying out loud."

"Jack may want to see you in only a towel," Anna teased.

Elsa groaned, turning to gently nudge her sister out of her bedroom before closing the door. "Goodbye, Anna."

…**~X~**...

Jack gulped, straightening the hem of his suit jacket, watching as his mum leaned over, pressing the doorbell, signalling their arrival at the Andersen home.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Emily bouncing around, eager to see Elsa and Anna. The younger girl had been a bundle of energy all day, keen to see Elsa in her dress and catch up with Anna whom she adored.

Jack, in contrast, had not shared the same level of enthusiasm. He'd taken to spending the day with Aster and Sandy, distracting himself by playing pranks on Aster, and then kicking his butt on video games. To his relief, his friend had gone easy on him, well aware of nerves that Jack was feeling.

Despite him and Elsa doing their best to keep their attendance at the prom a secret, it hadn't stopped Tyler and his gang from using the event as yet another reason to torment him. To his dismay, Tyler had caught him reading a poster advertising the prom, shoving Jack roughly before glaring at him and wagging his finger. A note had been delivered later that day warning him against attending, ignorantly assuming that the prom would hold no interest to Jack.

Jack knew that Elsa was wary about attending, Tyler's girlfriend, Violet, had seen to it that Elsa didn't miss out on the cruel taunts and threats against the prom. Together, Jack and Elsa had briefly discussed cancelling their plans in favour of spending the night in the comfort of one of their homes. Jack had raised the idea with Aster only for the Australian male to shoot him down, telling him bluntly that he would be a fool to do so, and that so long as he was enrolled in the school, he had just as much right to the celebration as any other senior student.

He watched as the door opened, Walt Andersen smiling widely as he stepped back, inviting the family into his home. Looking around, Jack could see a section of the living room where the furniture had been pushed back, assumedly for his and Elsa's prom night photo.

"You look different...smarter," Anna teased, before frowning. "Did I say that right?"

Jack grinned, poking his tongue out at her before responding. "Thanks….I think, and yes, you said that right."

He stifled a laugh, watching as Anna fistpumped the air, having been told that she had signed correctly. He knew that Elsa had taken to passing on the ASL lessons she was learning to her family, and despite the fact that they hadn't taken to the language as well as she had, they were still eager to practise, and were trying out their new skills whenever they caught up with the Frosts.

Raising his hands, he was just about to speak when Emily jumped in front of him, nodding her head in the direction of the doorway. Pausing, he turned, following her gaze as his eyes fell on Elsa standing bashfully in the doorway.

Jack felt his jaw drop. His eyes roaming up and down, taking in the sight of Elsa. Somehow she had managed to look even more beautiful than she normally did. She was wearing a long dress, he knew from the little that she had told him that the colour was referred to as 'mint-green'. The dress fell to her ankles, with a beaded detail that ran under where her breasts before meeting in the middle and wrapping around her neck, serving as the dress straps. Elsa turned around, showing off her bare back. Her long hair fell loose around her shoulders, with only a few soft curls, and a simple, but classy looking pair of silver earrings which seemed to match the silver heels she wore on her feet.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the flash of a camera, as Anna stepped forward to capture his expression, he was well aware that his mouth was still open, but he didn't care. He'd been rendered speechless.

"Wow," he spoke, grinning widely.

Shaking his head, he stepped forward, running a hand through his hair, ignoring the amused expression on their families faces.

"You look great," Elsa said, smiling kindly.

"You're beautiful" he stated, ignoring the deep blush that had spread across his cheeks.

A tap on his shoulder snapped him from his daze. Grinning, he followed Elsa over to the the wall for photo's. Pausing long enough for his mum to step forward and help him affix the white corsage they had bought for Elsa, before she stepped back, the hint of a tear in her eyes.

…**..~X~...**

Elsa flinched, wriggling her toes after Jack stepped on her feet for the third time in as many minutes. Pulling back, she saw him shrug apologetically, his eyes flicking between her feet and eyes. He had warned her that dancing wasn't one of his skills, but if she wanted to dance then he would give it a go.

Nodding, she looked at him, letting him know it was okay. She stepped closer, wrapping her arms tighter around his neck as a pop song played. Smiling briefly at Ryan who had turned up with a petite brunette on his arms.

She could feel Jack's eyes on her again. He'd been staring at her as if he was starstruck since the moment she'd entered the lounge room, and had spent most of the limo ride to the hotel where the prom was being held, telling her how beautiful she looked.

Elsa couldn't deny that Jack had scrubbed up nicely. Somehow managing to look mature, yet keeping his boyish charm in the smart black suit. His hair had been styled with hairspray, though he'd been quick to run his hands through and tousle it once they'd farewelled their parents.

Upon entering the hotel ballroom she had felt the familiar feeling of anxiety, fearful that her and Jack would not be welcomed. However, to her relief their classmates ignored their presence, seemingly more concerned with not stepping on their dates toes, or checking out their friends fancy clothing. Together they had found Hans, dressed smartly in a pair of jeans with a blazer, the young man giving up his Saturday evening to help interpret for Jack during the night. Stopping long enough to greet him before making their way around the room.

The first hour had passed without a hitch, Jack had quickly found the refreshments table, making his way over to pick up a glass of soft drink for them both. She noticed how a lot of the students seemed to be unsure about what to do, either standing around the edge of the dance floor with drinks, chatting with each other, or posing for photos. To her relief, she'd not seen Violet or Tyler yet, and was beginning to wonder if they were going to attend at all.

A few students had approached them, innocently asking how Jack could dance when he couldn't 'hear' the music. Hans had been quick to step in, translating for Jack and the students, giving them the answers they sought. Elsa had been prepared for the question a few weeks ago when curiosity had gotten the better of Anna and she'd asked the very same question. Jack had grinned, reaching over to explain how if the music was loud enough, especially if it had a good deal of percussion and bass he could 'feel' the vibrations coursing through his body, particularly in his breastbone.

The students had nodded, seemingly accepting the answer and returned to what they were doing, offering a polite wish that Jack and Elsa would continue to enjoy their night before leaving.

…**.~X~...**

Jack felt his cheeks heating up as his feet once again managed to step on Elsa's feet. He knew that she was shaking it off, and said it didn't bother her, but he still felt guilty. After all, he was wearing a pair of boots whilst she was in heels with her toes exposed, not to mention the fact that he weighed more than she did.

He paused, pulling back and dropping his hands from around her waist. "I think it's time for a drink, your feet need a rest," he said, indicating towards the tables that had been set up on the edge of the dance floor.

Grabbing her hand, he led her towards a small table, using his spare hand to beckon at Hans, letting him know where they were going.

Hans approached slowly, a drink in his hand. Jack knew that he was trying to give him and Elsa space, to make it feel like he wasn't his babysitter. When it was just Jack and Elsa, he'd hang back, Elsa's grasp on ASL had continued to grow, enabling her and Jack to hold longer conversations using sign language, before having to rely on paper or technology. It was only when other students neared him that Hans would approach, his eyes darting between Jack and Elsa, trying to establish whether they felt his assistance was needed.

"Having fun?" Hans asked, leaning back on his chair.

"Surprisingly, yes," Elsa replied, smiling. "What about you? Thank you for coming, for giving up your night."

Hans grinned. "Well, it's my job, it's a school event and I'm hired to interpret for Jack at school and school events which he attends," he answered. "Truthfully, I don't mind, my partner wanted to drag me to see a movie which he likes, but I hate, so you're doing me a favour."

"The other students are all being quite nice," Elsa noted. "They don't seem to care that we're here, and seem to be accepting."

Jack nodded, reaching over to squeeze her hand before turning to face Hans. He knew that Elsa had been worried about trouble from Tyler or Violet and their gang, but so far they'd failed to make an appearance. Their fellow classmates seemed to ignore them, with only a few stopping to question how Jack could respond to the music.

"Elsa," Hans began. "I've found in my life, that most people are curious about what they perceive to be different. Some ask questions, others don't, but it is good that these kids are asking, it gives them a chance to learn which can lead to understanding, and tolerance. Also, for what it's worth, most of the kids here are too preoccupied with how they look, and with not making a fool of themselves."

Hans paused, stopping to take a sip of his drink before glancing at Jack, his eyes falling on Elsa's hand which was still intertwined with Jack's own.

"What I want to know," Hans began, raising his eyebrow, "Is when did 'this' happen? Something has changed between you two."

Jack blushed, letting go of Elsa's hand. "Eight weeks ago," he answered. "It's a secret though, only a few people know."

He watched as a smile crossed Hans' face. "I'm going to be honest here, I suspected you two liked each other, that said, it's not going to remain a secret much longer I'm afraid, not with the way you've been looking at each other, or the places you've rested your hands, Jack"

Jack gulped, memories of Walt Andersen's parting words as they left Elsa's house. The older man had pulled Jack aside, casting a glance at Caroline Frost who had nodded before signing, telling Jack to 'watch the hands'. Jack had simply nodded, offering a shy grin before stepping into the car with Elsa.

The sudden appearance of Elsa's hands on Jack's leg startled him, breaking him from his thoughts. Grinning, he turned to face her, noting how her eyes had lit up at the song that was thumping through the speakers. "We have to dance to this one," she ordered.

…**~X~...**

Elsa smiled, tightening her hands around Jack's neck as the song played. She felt his hands make their way to rest on her lower back, pulling her closer.

All around them students danced, couples getting closer as the music changed from upbeat to slower paced ballads. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward. Closing the gap between her and Jack and resting her head on his shoulder, breathing in his scent. She felt Jack shift, before resting his head on hers as they swayed to the music.

Elsa knew that her actions, of dancing so intimately with Jack would certainly announce their relationship to anyone who spotted them, but she didn't care. Her feelings for Jack were only growing, and she was finding it harder to deny them in public, she wanted to know what it felt like to hold his hand as they walked to the cafeteria, or to steal a kiss at their lockers like she'd seen other couples do. Besides, the reaction to their appearance at the prom had been fine so far, so maybe they could be accepted by their peers.

Slowly, the song came to a finish, shifting to another ballad. Blinking, she turned to face Jack, her eyes catching his before flicking to his lips. She wanted to kiss him, to lean in and feel his lips on hers. Shifting her head, she noticed that a few other couples had stopped dancing and were now standing on the spot, kissing without a care in the world. Taking a deep breath, she leaned in, pressing a quick kiss on his lips, chuckling as his eyes widened and his mouth pulled into the lopsided grin that made him even more adorable.

Sighing, she laid her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes as they swayed in time to the music, with Jack following her lead. She had no idea if he could feel the vibrations from this song, the music was being played at a loud level, but lacked the heavy beat of earlier songs. Either way, it didn't matter, they were together, having fun, and being left alone.

"Oh, that's cute," sneered a loud voice. "Figures that you two losers would come together."

Elsa froze, opening her eyes as she stared in horror at Violet who had come to stand in front of her with Tyler and a few of their friends surrounding them.

She felt Jack drop his arms from her waist and shift to stand beside her. She looked at him. "I'll fill you in later," she signed.

"I thought we told you that you're not welcome here," Violet snapped. "There's no point you being here is there? I mean he can't even hear the damn music, and it's not like anyone wants you here."

…**.~X~...**

Jack felt Elsa stiffen in his arms as she stepped back, removing her arms from his neck.

Opening his eyes, he felt his heart rate increase, glancing at Tyler, Violet and their group of friends who were standing in front of him, a nasty scowl on their faces. Looking at Elsa, he noted the way her face had paled as she signed to him, letting him know that she'd fill him in later.

He watched as Tyler stepped forward, holding his phone out for Jack to read. "_What the hell do you think you're doing here, loser? It's not like you can hear the music" _

Jack groaned, rolling his eyes, he knew better than to waste his time trying to talk to the bullies. Tyler and his gang weren't interested in learning, they just wanted to bully him, to remind him that he wasn't welcome, wasn't accepted.

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Hans make a step towards them, his face pulled tight as he glared at Tyler.

Reaching out, he pulled Elsa towards him, keeping her close. He knew that in doing so any hopes of keeping their relationship secret from the bullies would be dashed, but he didn't care. He knew that she was trying not to show her panic, desperate to stay strong for him, and he had to do the same for her.

…**~X~**...

"I told you, No-way, go back to where you came from and take your stupid Deaf boyfriend with you," Violet stated, her voice low.

Elsa blinked, swallowing the lump that had risen in her throat. She felt Jack's hand reaching to grip hers, and gulped. She watched in horror as a few of the nearby couples stopped dancing, intrigued by the commotion, to focus their attention on her and Jack.

"Oh, that's cute, you're holding hands," Violet smirked, turning to face the friends that surrounded her. "Well, they do say that freaks attract freaks, losers attract losers…."

"Bullies attract other bullies," came a loud voice.

Elsa paused, watching as Ryan broke through the gathered crowd, coming to stand beside her.

"You know, Violet, it's not Jack or Elsa that people don't want here," he continued, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's you, your boyfriend and your stupid little gang."

Elsa gasped, watching as Ryan's friends stepped forward, coming to stand behind her and Jack, their arms crossed over their chests. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Hans, signing to Jack before turning to face Violet and Tyler, his voice low as he told them whilst he couldn't personally punish them, he had no qualms in alerting the supervising teachers to what he'd seen.

"Those losers," Tyler spat, "You know, you're really going to lose all credibility for standing up for them, Ryan."

"Better than having no credibility due to being a pathetic asshole like you, Tyler," Ryan hissed, raising his eyebrow.

Elsa turned, watching Jack, noting the way his eyes were wide as he took in the scene unfolding. She felt her face heating up as she noticed the way the crowd surrounding them was growing. She turned to face Hans, wanting to know if he was translating for Jack but he'd disappeared.

"You know, Violet, I have to say, after all these years, you're still a complete and utter bitch, still bullying perfectly nice people, making them feel like shit. You're fucking pathetic, you know that," Lisa stated loudly, stepping out from the crowd and towards Elsa.

"Bu..bu," Violet stammered, her face flushed. "No one wants them here!"

Besides her, Lisa chortled, shaking her head before glaring at Violet. "No, you bitch, no one wants YOU here." she said. "You always ruin things, by being a complete and utter cow, and what's more you have no good reason to treat anyone, least of all Jack or Elsa like shit. Jack can't change being born Deaf, Elsa couldn't change being born in Norway, or for her father to accept a job here, but you, you CAN change how you treat people, but you don't. You're just a rude, nasty, bitch and I'm sick of it."

…**.~X~...**

Jack watched, amazed as a small crowd gathered around him and Elsa, standing besides them.

Ryan had been the first to step forward, standing beside Elsa, his arms crossed over his chest, his gaze fixed on Tyler and Violet as he spoke. Jack had looked for Hans, keen to know what he had said, but he was backing away, his hands moving fast as he signed to Jack, letting him know that he needed to get a teacher.

Beside him he felt Elsa relax her grip on his hand, her eyes wide as she stared at the group, her eyes darting between him and the gathered crowd.

His eyes fell on Violet, noting the deep shade of red that had crossed her face as she stepped back, her mouth opening as she undoubtedly hissed something cruel. To his surprise, another person had stepped forward, a redheaded girl he'd spotted at Ryan's table had come to stand in front of Violet, glaring as she stared down at her.

He felt a tug on his elbow. "Jack, they are standing up for us!" Elsa gasped, indicating towards the crowd.

He grinned, boldly reaching out to drape his arm around Elsa's waist. Beside him he felt a hand on his shoulder, a boy he recognised as the captain of the school's football team stepped forward, shooting him a shy smile.

Out of the corner of his eye he watched as Hans approached, followed by the school's vice principal who broke through the gathered crowd, his eyes fixed on Tyler and Violet.

…**~X~...**

Elsa felt the tears threatening to fall, but this time the tears weren't from pain, but from surprise.

She couldn't believe the scene which had unfolded, nor the range of emotions that had occurred all in the space of thirty minutes. Somehow the thing she had feared had occurred, yet it hadn't taken a surprising turn, rendering her speechless.

Her and Jack's quiet, uneventful night at the prom had been interrupted by the late arrival of Violet and Tyler and their gang. The bullies had tried in vain to insult her and Jack, keen to see them leave the prom, and they nearly succeeded, was it not for the surprise appearance of a few of their classmates.

Ryan had been the first to step forward. He'd broken through the crowd to stand beside Elsa, and with Ryan came his own group of friends, all of whom were intent on supporting their friend, and in doing so, supporting her and Jack.

Lisa had been the next to speak, stepping forward and snapping at Violet, before turning to Elsa, a grin on her face and saying she would have preferred to just punch the nasty girl, but didn't want to get thrown out of prom.

All around them the gathered crowd had cheered, with a few other students whom Elsa didn't recognise coming to add their own less than favourable opinions about Violet and Tyler and the way they treated people. Elsa had sensed the bullies losing their sense of bravado with each passing minute as they appeared to be outnumbered

Hans had returned after a few minutes, with the school's vice principal hot on his heels. Both men's faces were flushed with anger as they pulled Jack, Elsa along with Tyler, Violet and their small gang from the room.

From there, the vice principal had leaned in, asking for a brief explanation, before banishing Tyler and Violet, barring them from returning to the prom, although stating that they would be expected to meet him in his office first thing on Monday morning to talk about discipline.

…**~X~...**

Jack let out a breath, watching as Tyler, Violet and their friends were escorted out of the hotel lobby by their vice principal, leaving him alone with Elsa and Hans outside the hotel ballroom.

"I shouldn't say this, but I hate that little punk and I'm glad he got what he deserved," Hans smirked, nodding his head in the direction of Tyler. "Him and that girlfriend of his have been vile to both of you."

"You knew?" Jack gasped, staring at Hans. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Hans nodded. "I knew, and I tried to hint at it, but you didn't want to talk to me, you had to feel safe and clearly you weren't with that little brat bullying you."

Jack swallowed, feeling his face flush with shame.

"Hey, it's over, those kids in the ballroom, they were standing up for you and Elsa, showing support for you. It's over, Jack, this is a good thing, from the sounds of things those kids won't get far if they try anything," Hans added. "I just wished I could do more for you."

He nodded, unsure what to say. He couldn't help but feel ashamed, knowing that Hans had apparently been aware of the way him and Elsa were treated by their bullies, especially as he'd tried for so long to hide it, scared of attracting attention like they had moments earlier.

Elsa had been worried about Violet and Tyler targeting them at the prom, as had he. They had decided to attend regardless of the fear, and despite the fact that their bullies had approached them, they hadn't been successful, with the support of their classmates geared towards him and Elsa, and not the bullies. He couldn't help but wonder if that support had always been there, and he'd been oblivious to it. For so long they had kept to themselves, having allowed their bullies to cast doubt over the behaviour of their fellow classmates. The fear that the bullies had placed in them had even caused him and Elsa to initially be wary of each other when the had first met.

"I'm going to head back inside, I'll see you when you get back in," Hans said, smiling at him.  
"Don't get yourself into too much trouble."

Jack chuckled, watching as Hans walked away, leaving him and Elsa alone in the hallway.

Sighing, he reached his hands out, his eyes darting around, ensuring they were alone before pulling her towards him, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

He felt Elsa relax, bringing her arms to rest around his neck, her hand brushing through his hair as she deepened the kiss. Slowly he moved his hand, rubbing it up and down her bare back.

…**~X~...**

Elsa sighed, cleaning off the last of her make up as she recounted the tale of the prom to Anna.

Her and Jack had returned to the ballroom, spurred on by the confidence they felt in knowing their classmates had come to their defence. Once inside the ballroom they had discovered the atmosphere had shifted, going back to the same relaxed state it had been prior to Violet and Tyler's arrival.

Gripping Jack's hand, she had led him through the ballroom, stopping occasionally when other students wished to apologise for the bullies behaviour, and to wish them an enjoyable night.

Finally, they had found Ryan and his date, the pair along with some of his other friends were sitting around a table, laughing amicably. Her and Jack had thanked the group for their assistance before making their way to find Hans, thanking him for his support once again.

The rest of the night had finished smoothly, with the announcement of Prom King and Queen, before the lights came on, and the students were sent home for the night. Ryan had stopped, typing on his phone to invite her and Jack to an after party but they had declined, opting to call it a night and return to their respective homes.

"So, not only did Tyler and Violet get what they had coming, but you and Jack kind of went public with your relationship," Anna said, moving to sit on the edge of the bathtub.

Elsa grinned, scooping up her long hair as she wiped moisturiser over her face. "Yeah, I guess we did, I mean we were dancing together and we...we…"

"Kissed?" Anna suggested, chuckling.

Elsa blushed. "Yeah, a few times, once before Violet and Tyler, then out in the hallway, and I kind of kissed him during one of the last songs that was played," she admitted.

"So, I take it you're not worried about people knowing now, no more keeping it quiet at school then?" Anna asked.

Elsa shook her head. "Nope, no more hiding it"

**A/Note- **

**Okay, so this is a long chapter, and there are a few bits of research that may be of interest. Special thanks once again to Zulka for sharing some information from her book**

Articles I Read:

Deaf Music- Music In The World blog  
** .edu/musicintheworld/2012/12/02/deaf-music/**

**Deaf People Can 'Hear' Music  
**** 2013/11/deaf-people-can-hear-music/**

**If you are interested you may wish to check out some talented Deaf dancers.**

Typing in 'Alvin Horton: Deaf Dancer' on You Tube will bring a good video of a talented Deaf dancer. 


	14. Chapter 14

Jack beamed, leaning back on his chair, watching as his friends and acquaintances reacted to the photo's from the prom which he had posted on his Facebook page, raising his eyebrow when even Bunny was left speechless by the sight of Jack and Elsa all dressed up.

He'd spent most of the morning on his computer chatting with Elsa, glancing at the photo's that she had taken at the prom, and looking at the pictures that had been taken of them by others. Jack had woken to discover that Hans had been quick to email Caroline Frost with a few photo's of the young couple that he had managed to snap, including one of the end of the night when they had been too busy kissing to notice the flash of the camera.

The previous night had broken a few barriers it seemed, suddenly both Jack and Elsa found themselves receiving a friend request from Ryan which led to requests from a few of the boy's friends, including Lisa who had been quick to leap to their defence against Tyler and Violet. He'd been apprehensive at first to accept the request, however, Ryan had sent through a private message to both Jack and Elsa, explaining that whilst he could understand their reluctance, given the fact they had spent most of the school year largely ignored by fellow students, he would like a chance to get to know them both some more.

Not surprising, it seemed the topic of the day amongst his new school acquaintances was the senior prom. Shortly after accepting Ryan's friend request, Jack had noticed a status about the event, claiming it to be a success save for the arrival of Tyler and Violet. His eyes had widened as he read through the comments, seeing the names of his and Elsa's fellow classmates, all condemning the behaviour of the bullies. Name after name of students, most of whom he'd never interacted with, all complimenting him and Elsa for how they handled the attack, sharing their own stories of run-ins with Tyler, Violet and their gang, or having witnessed the bullying that Jack and Elsa had endured during their time at the school.

For so long he had felt isolated, stuck in a world of his own at his new school. Then Elsa had come along, as lonely as he was, and suffering the same cruel treatment from bullies. The two had been made to feel like they were outcasts, unwelcomed in their new environment, yet, the reaction he was seeing on Ryan's status seemed to suggest that his their classmates weren't immune to them, that they had been noticed and that contrary to the words uttered by Tyler and Violet, it wasn't him and Elsa whom their classmates disliked.

The other big news had been the couples of the prom, those whom people knew about, the newer, less well known pairs, and the surprise pairings. After getting home, Jack had received a text from Elsa, stating that she believed they could no longer keep their relationship a secret and she didn't want to anymore. She claimed that their behaviour at the prom, dancing so closely and being caught kissing basically announced their relationship to their classmates. Their friends and family knew, Hans now knew, therefore, she felt that there was little point in denying it, they were a couple.

Jack had agreed, he'd noted the curious looks on people's faces after he'd stolen a kiss from Elsa towards the end of the night. There was no way they could deny that they were more than friends anymore.

Elsa had been quick to act, changing her Facebook profile picture to one of her and him prior to leaving for the prom, with his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, holding her close. They had also changed their relationship status on the social media site, announcing themselves to be in a relationship with each other. To his delight, the response had been great, with their friends and family all expressing positive wishes. Elsa's grandparents had even gone as far to say they had noticed sparks when they'd visited over Christmas, and that Jack would be welcomed if he chose to accompany Elsa on a visit back home to Norway. Naturally Anna had been quick to add her input, stating that declaring their relationship online made it official in every sense of the word.

Still, despite the positivity surrounding their appearance at the prom, and their relationship, their was a part of him that still felt nervous about returning to school the following day. Regardless of the apparent support of their classmates, Tyler and Violet would still likely be an issue, especially after they had been removed from the prom, and would be receiving their punishment. Not to mention, the concern he still held about him and Elsa. He knew she cared for him, a lot, and he was in love with her, but the concern for their future still plagued him. Elsa was someone who deserved a great life, to be happy, and loved, to live in comfort. A future with Jack would always make her 'different', she'd always be left translating for someone, or explaining to a well-meaning person that simply talking louder or slower won't miraculously cause Jack to regain his hearing. Not to mention that everything from raising a family to their home appliances, and lifestyle would be different.

…**..~X~...**

Grinning, Elsa waved at her mum before taking Jack's hand and stepping out the door.

She couldn't help but feel slightly anxiety about the week ahead. On the one hand she was excited. She felt a sense of relief that her and Jack's relationship was now out in the open and they were free to hold hands and show small tokens of affection in public. However, the flipside was that Violet and Tyler were due to be punished for their behaviour at the prom, and would surely not be happy having been unceremoniously removed from the prom after facing a public scolding from their peers.

Despite the fact that it was obvious that Tyler and Violet had less support than they realised, with many students tired of their bullying nature, they still had the ability to cause pain whether by physical or emotional means, and Elsa couldn't deny that she worried for how they would behave towards her and Jack over the coming days. A concern she knew that Jack shared, despite the fact he was choosing to stay quiet on the subject.

She felt Jack slow down beside her as the school building came into view. Suddenly, he stopped, dropping his hand. "Are you ready for this?" he asked, his blue eyes staring into hers, seeking assurance.

Nodding, she looked at him. "We've got this, it's only a few more weeks of school left and then we're finished," she replied. "Besides, our final exams are more terrifying than a few bullies."

To her relief, Jack seemed to accept the answer, flashing her his lopsided grin before reaching to grab her hand, giving it a squeeze as they walked the last few steps towards the school.

Entering the school building, she was surprised to notice that very few people seemed to care about her and Jack holding hands. All around her students were behaving like normal, rushing about to get to their homeroom, greeting their friends. A few students she recognised from her classes stopped to give her a shy smile, or nod, but that was it. Everyone was too preoccupied with their own business to notice the bashful couple as they made their way towards Jack's locker.

Shyly, she shifted on her feet, her eyes glancing towards the corridor which was slowly emptying as the start of the school day approached. Sneaking a glance at Jack, she noted the cheeky look on his face, and knew he was up to something. Suddenly, his hand shot out, gently gripping her wrist as he pulled her towards him, raising his spare hand to cup her face as he leant in and pressed a quick kiss to her lips.

The sound of a cough caused her to break the kiss. Blushing, she pulled apart, turning to face Hans who looked down at her and Jack, his eyebrow raised. "You know, I have no problem with the two of you being together, or making out wherever or whenever, but if you're going to do it here at school then there are some rules to follow," he started. "For starters, make sure you're never making out in front of someone else's locker because that just makes it awkward for all involved when they need to ask you to move, and two, try and make sure that you're not too busy making out that you fail to notice the fact that the school bell is due to ring in less than a minute."

Blushing, Elsa looked at the hallway, noting how it had emptied, just in time for the school bell to ring, sounding the start to the day. Hastily she waved at Jack, watching as he threw Hans a cocky look before darting across the hall to her own homeroom, breathing a sigh of relief when she noticed that Violet had yet to arrive.

…**~X~...**

Jack sighed, slamming the locker closed and crossing the hall to wait patiently for Elsa to return, ready for the lunch period.

The day had passed in a blur. He'd walked into his first period class and been surprised to notice how Ryan had been quick to give him a small wave, smiling as Jack passed by. Tyler had returned to the class towards the end of the lesson, stopping long enough to glare at Jack before slinking into a seat up the back of the room. The look of disgust on Hans' face was evident, with the older male shaking his head before directing his attention back to the front of the room.

By the time the lunch bell had rung, Jack's pockets had been filled with notes. All day he'd had students who had barely spared him a second glance in the past, approaching him, with notes stating how they supported him and Elsa, and how much they hated Tyler and Violet. The attention was overwhelming, especially after going for so long feeling ignored by his classmates.

His eyes widened, lighting up as a familiar head of platinum blonde hair headed towards him, a wide smile on Elsa's face as she waved at him. "Hey," he said, reaching over to open her locker for her.

Stepping back, he waited patiently for Elsa to slide her books into her locker, slamming it shut before she reached for his hand, gripping it tightly as they walked towards the cafeteria. He could feel the anxiety rising as they neared the cafeteria. All day he'd received nothing but positive responses from his fellow classmates, save for the glare he'd received from Tyler earlier, and Violet when she had walked into a later class. The two hadn't dared approach him in class, however, lunchtime was easier with less supervision from teachers, and without Hans close-by, keeping an eye on Jack ready to translate if needed. In the cafeteria they were left to fend for themselves, and could easily be cornered by their bullies.

A few minutes later they had taken a seat at their usual table, their trays of food resting in front of them, ignored by their fellow students as they discussed their day so far. It appeared that he hadn't been the only one to receive positive feedback from their classmates, with Elsa sharing her own stories of how students had gone to her, telling her how they had liked her dress, thought that she and Jack made a cute couple, or that they were sorry to hear of the trouble her and Jack had faced at the prom.

He watched as Elsa gave a quick wave to Ryan when he passed by their table, his arms linked through the girl who he'd attended prom with. Jack could feel the familiar lump forming in his throat, memories of Ryan's initial interest in dating Elsa crossing his mind. He was about to roll his eyes, when Elsa dropped her hand to rest on his thigh, giving it a squeeze.

He was too busy grinning awkwardly at the feel of Elsa's hand on his thigh, that he failed to notice as Tyler, Violet and a few of their friends approached the table until they had come to stand beside him, shoving a few sheets of paper under his nose.

'_Thanks to you, asshole, I got detention for a whole week, all because you couldn't listen to fucking instructions….oh wait, you can't 'listen' can you?' _Tyler said.

Sighing, he moved to grab a pen from Elsa, determined to at least point out that it wasn't their fault, to remind Tyler that it was his and Violet's decision to approach them, to continuously bully them, when something inside of him snapped.

Glancing up, he could see Ryan and his friends watching with interest, along with a few other students from his year, all of whom had slowly started approaching their table, their eyes fixed on the bullies. He looked to the left, watching as Elsa glared at Violet and Tyler, noting the way she had stood up from her seat, and had shifted closer to him, her arms crossed over her chest.

Pushing his chair back, he slung his arm around Elsa's waist, pulling her tight to him. He could feel her body soften slightly as she relaxed under his touch. A flash of red hair moving fast from the back of the room as Anna came to rest alongside Elsa, followed closely by her friends, adding to the small crowd who had come to stand around them, their eyes all fixed on the bullies.

Jack looked at Tyler, his eyes had widened, he appeared to be less confident when faced with a larger crowd of people, all willing to defend Jack and Elsa if need be. Jack knew that their time in school was coming to a close, only a few more weeks before they would be finished for ever, with only the summer holidays and university to go through. He felt that despite the fact he had people willing to stand up for him, he needed to learn to do it for himself.

"You know what, Tyler? Yes, it's true, if you say anything I can't hear it, congratulations, you figured out that I'm Deaf, you must be proud," he spoke, glaring at Tyler. "It may be a little too late, but to hell with it, I'm not going to let you push me or my girlfriend around anymore, it's not our fault you and Violet bullied us, treated us like shit, made us feel like we didn't belong, and yes, this is what my spoken voice sounds like, I know you're probably going to laugh at that, but fuck you."

Gulping, he took a step back. His sudden burst of bravado didn't seem so brave now that it was said, knowing he'd given Tyler yet another reason to bully him. He turned his head, his eyes scanning over the gathered crowd, watching as they suddenly burst into applause, stopping only to give him a thumbs up. Grinning, he focused his attention on Elsa, chuckling as she stared at him, her mouth open.

"You were amazing!" she gasped. "I can't believe you just did that"

Nodding, he turned his head, watching as Tyler glared at him one last time before turning and stomping away, Violet and their small group of friends followed closely behind him. He could feel his heart rate racing, as he settled himself back on his seat, pulling Elsa to sit beside him before smiling bashfully at the remaining crowd as they slowly broke apart, returning to their own tables.

…**~X~...**

Elsa smiled, leaning back against Jack's chest, her hands resting on his arms that had settled around her waist, holding her close to him.

They had chosen to return to her house after school. The teachers had gone easy on the homework, allowing them a relaxed start to the new school week. Initially, they had planned to get a start on some study in preparation for their final exams, but the events that had unfolded in the cafeteria over lunchtime had been too momentous for Elsa to ignore.

She'd not been surprised when Tyler and Violet had approached them, she knew it would happen. The duo had spent all of their morning homeroom period, and half of their first lesson in the principal's office where they had received their punishment. Violet had slunk into the math class which they shared midway through the lesson, a scowl on her face which had shifted to a glare upon noticing Elsa. To her relief, Elsa had managed to escape the class without seeing her, thanks in part to the class teacher who had called Violet to stay behind after class. Still, she knew that payback was coming. Experience had taught her that the actions that had gone down Saturday night, coupled with the punishment that would have been given, would mean the bullies would find some way to take it out on Jack and Elsa.

They had sat down to eat, their trays of food largely ignored as they swapped stories about their day so far. To Elsa's delight both her and Jack had received positive response from their classmates, with students advancing on them as they went about their day. She'd just finished reading the collection of notes that Jack had received from supportive students when the bullies had approached.

She'd felt her heart race, looking up at Violet's angry face. Beside her she heard Jack gulp, his eyes widening as he stared at the menacing group. Violet had stuck to her standard scathing insults- insulting Elsa for being Norwegian, for her pale hair and complexion, blaming Elsa and Jack for her and Tyler being kicked out of the prom and given a weeks worth of detention and referring to the new couple as 'freaks'.

It hadn't been until she had dared to attack Jack that Elsa had snapped. The names thrown at her were bad enough, but she had crossed a line when she let fly with yet another cruel dig at Jack being Deaf. Tyler had stood beside his girlfriend, smirking as he watched Jack read the note he'd handed to him. Elsa hadn't even had to ask to see the note to know it had hurt Jack, past experience, and the way he'd been quick to scrunch the note up told her that it wasn't nice.

She had pushed her chair back, standing to her feet, her eyes falling on Anna and a selection of students from the senior class who had moved towards their table, their arms crossed as they glared at the bullies, all seemingly willing to stand up for her and Jack if need be.

Something inside of Elsa had snapped, realising that so many people were apparently willing to defend her and Jack, that they weren't the outcasts they'd been led to think they were. She could feel a surge of confidence rushing through her, coupled with the anger she felt at Tyler and Violet for the way they had treated her and Jack. Opening her mouth, she was just about to let fly with a few key messages which she felt the bullies deserved to hear when something had stopped her.

The sound of Jack's spoken voice had filled the tense silence. Grinning, she had turned to face him, watching as he bravely spoke up to their bullies, defending himself, and her. She'd felt the pride washing over her, knowing how big a deal it was for Jack to use his voice in front of people, especially in a situation like this where he felt vulnerable. The fact that he was using his voice in front of the same people who had bullied them, and had made fun of his voice only a few months earlier was nothing short of incredibly courageous.

She'd held her breath, beside her she felt Anna stiffen, ready to join in and defend Elsa and Jack if need be, but she didn't have to. Tyler had simply stared at Jack, shifting his attention long enough to look at the crowd surrounding them, before beckoning to Violet and storming out of the cafeteria.

Shifting, she turned to face Jack, waiting for him to give her eye contact before starting. "You were so freaking amazing today," she said. "I just can't believe how brave you were, standing up to our bullies."

She watched as Jack gave her a weak grin, before shaking his head, exhaling loudly.

"It will never fully stop, Elsa," he said. "You should get out now before it's too late, before your life is ruined completely because of me."

Elsa frowned, flicking through her ASL book to ensure she'd was obvious that something was troubling Jack, seemingly making him doubt himself. "What do you mean 'get out now'?" she asked.

Jack sighed, reaching over to push a strand of her hair behind her ear before leaning back against the couch, lowering his head.

Shifting closer, she tapped his leg, waiting for him to look at her. "Explain" she ordered, "Please, just tell me what you mean, I'm confused, and worried."

"So long as you are with me you're going to have to deal with bullies," he replied. "There has always been people who judge me, think I'm 'stupid' or that I can't do shit because I'm Deaf, that I don't like 'normal' things, or that I'm someone to be pitied. I've dealt with it my entire life, people staring at me, Emily's friends getting weirded out, people judging me, hell, even my own grandparents judged me, saying I basically could never be a proper man. You don't deserve this life, Elsa."

Elsa sighed, noting the signs of tears in Jack's eyes. She knew that he'd faced a lot of ignorance and some cruelty over the course of his life, from the obviously nasty insults of Tyler and his gang, to the more subtle judgement from people who felt that he was somehow less capable than any other person his age.

"Jack," she began, smiling. "Those people will always exist, but they don't matter, not in the long run, because we have each other, and friends, our families."

"Yeah, but so long as you are with me your life and you will always be different, Elsa," Jack shot back. "I love you, but I don't want to be a burden to you. If you continued to be with me your life will not be 'normal', you will always be dealing with ignorant people, with bullies. You'd have to live in a home which was different, from the alarm clock, to how you watch TV. Picture this, Elsa, years down the track, if we had kids, you know I'd not be able to hear our kids cry, or their first word. I'd never know if they had a nice singing voice, or hear them laugh. You don't deserve this life, Elsa, you deserve happiness, success, everything you want."

Elsa sighed, watching as Jack buried his head in his hands, a soft sob escaping his lips. She'd suspected that he'd been holding back on her, that something was troubling him in regards to their relationship, and it seemed today he had finally reached his breaking point and could no longer hold it in anymore. Two things had stuck out to her in what he'd said, the first was that he still felt insecure about their relationship because of his Deafness, and the second was that he clearly had thought about their future, about what their life could be like. She paused, reaching out to gently stroke his leg whilst she contemplated her response.

She didn't blame him for feeling the way he did. If the situations were reversed than she'd surely feel the same. He was right, that their future, their life together would include some slight modifications that hearing homes didn't have. If they had children, he'd not hear their kids voices, but their kids would still communicate with him, and would be taught sign language from an early age. They would always be looking for family movie outings where closed captioning was offered, or watching their child play sport and having to explain to fellow parents that Jack couldn't hear. Yet all those modifications, the differences they would face, paled in comparison to what she would have in Jack. He was not just her best friend, he was the man she was in love with, the kindest, funniest, cheekiest, smartest, and most caring guy she had ever known, and she didn't want to imagine her life without him.

Leaning over, she tapped him on the shoulder, calling his attention back to her. "Jack, I don't care about the ignorant people, the bullies, the modifications that would be in our home, all of those are nothing compared to the chance to be with the guy I love, with my best friend.I care about you," she began. "Hell, I've learned sign language, I've taught my family to sign so they can communicate with you. Jack, I love you, and I want to be with you and only you, forever so if that means we have a modified house, then you best start planning those modifications now, because you're not getting rid of me that easily."

Grinning, she shuffled closer, shifting to sit beside Jack. She threw her arm around him, pulling him close. She didn't know what her future held. The career path she'd initially considered pursuing had changed, and she was now looking at following an entirely different job. All she knew was that she wanted Jack right there beside her for the good days and the bad days. So long as she had Jack in her life, she had it all.

**A/N- Thank you all for your continued support, reviews, comments etc. In case you're wondering, this story is indeed wrapping up with only 2 more chapters to go. I am in the process of planning another story though, and one shot ideas are always propping up in my mind. **


	15. Chapter 15

Elsa grinned, staring at her reflection in the mirror whilst she carefully adjusted the light blue baby doll dress, and black flats that she'd chosen to wear.

Once she was satisfied with her appearance she turned, grabbing the carry-bag which held her graduation gown and mortarboard and slinging it over her shoulder. She cast one last look at her bedroom before stepping out the door and making her way downstairs to the lounge room.

Slowly, she made her way to a display of family snaps, her eyes settling on a photo that her parents had recently dug out to display. Smiling, she picked the frame up, looking at the photo of her five year old self, ready for her first day of school. Her platinum blonde hair had been tied in pigtails, on her back was a large backpack which was far too big for the petite young Elsa. Chuckling, she recalled the way that she had refused to let her mum carry it, claiming that she was a big girl and could do it herself. Her eyes fell to a space in the frame that had been left empty in preparation for a photo that would be taken today, on her very last day of school.

Placing the photo down, she moved on to a more recent picture. A framed shot of her and Jack from before the prom. Picking it up, she lightly traced her fingers over their outlines, smiling at the memory of the night they had spent in each others arms, dancing and making out.

"He really changed your life, didn't he?" Anna asked quietly, coming to stand beside Elsa.

Elsa smiled, placing the photo back on the small display table. "He did, he really did, Anna. It still seems surreal to me, how much he's changed my life in only a matter of months," she admitted, blushing.

She still couldn't believe how different her life had become, simply because of Jack. If you had asked Elsa ten months ago, her goals were simple. She wanted to finish her schooling, having begrudgingly accepted her fate to spend the year in the United States. Once the school year had finished she planned to return home to Arendelle, where she would study at one of the local universities. She'd not planned on making friends in the USA, much less falling in love. To make friends in the USA would be pointless as they would only be people she'd have to say tearful goodbyes to when she returned to Norway. 

Then she'd met Jack and had found in him someone who understood her. He knew what it was like to feel ignored, and unwelcome at their school and to be bullied mercilessly. Somehow they had managed to move past their initial wariness of each other to form a friendship, and then a romantic relationship. The very thought of her having a boyfriend still made her blush. She had never been one who considered romance or dating, that had always been Anna's area of expertise. Her younger sister had always been the boy-crazy one, constantly discussing her latest crush, or planning her future wedding. Elsa had always remained more reserved, focusing her attention on her studies, or reading, movies, and the odd video game for fun. The very idea that she could turn to mush at the thought of a boy, or fall in love had seemed foreign to her.

Even her career choices had changed, thanks to Jack. Prior to meeting him she had thought of applying to study law or journalism at one of the top universities in Arendelle. Then Jack had entered her life, and through him she learned about Deaf culture, and had become capable of holding many conversations in sign language. As her knowledge grew, so did her awareness of the roles translators played in assisting Deaf people. Not only did they help with students like Jack, but they also helped Deaf people go about their lives, assisting in everyday moments such as emergency bulletins, or attending variety of appointments that the client may have. Shyly, she had approached Mrs Frost, who had been supportive, telling her that she was well on the way to becoming fluent in ASL, and suggesting she talked with Hans, asking him how to go about getting the skills she'd need to work as an interpreter. To her delight, Hans had been incredibly helpful, providing Elsa with pamphlets, and the addresses of websites which would assist her.

The day she'd found out she had been accepted into Beaconsfield University's B.S of American Sign Language/ English Interpreting course had been one of the happiest of her life. She had received the letter, and after telling her parents, had raced out the door, running the few blocks that separated her and Jack's house. Once there, she'd presented her letter of acceptance to Jack and Mrs Frost who had surrounded her, wrapping her in a hug before insisting she stayed for a special celebratory dinner. The day had been made extra special for the fact that Jack had received his own letter of acceptance into a B.A in Elementary Education at Gallamet University, a well respected university which focused on providing an education to Deaf students.

"You know, I wasn't going to stay in the USA, I was meant to finish the year of schooling here and then return home to Arendelle for uni. I had it all planned out, I was going to ask to stay at Grandma's and Grandpa's house," Elsa murmured, shaking her head.

"And then came Jack," Anna added, flinging her arm around Elsa's waist. "See, maybe the move to the US wasn't a bad thing. Think of it, Els, we've got the best of both worlds, a home in the USA with people who love us and a home in Norway and loved ones back there."

Elsa nodded, smiling at Anna. "You're right, we do, we have two homes," she agreed.

"Alright, that's enough mush, you're not allowed to be mushy today, Mum and Mrs Frost are going to be bad enough, sitting together and crying about how their babies are growing up," Anna teased. "Also, we need to get photo's of you and Jack, and some family photo's, and pictures of you and Jack in your graduation gown, which, might I add, I'm totally going to call it a dress simply to annoy your boyfriend."

Elsa chuckled, stepping out of Anna's grip as she made her way to find their parents. She knew that her mum was going to be a blubbering mess, but Elsa was ready to farewell one chapter of her life, and move on to the next step

…**..~X~...**

Jack grinned, his eyes falling on Elsa, standing with her family as he made his way along the footpath to the front of their school.

They had agreed to meet out the front of the school, both Elsa's parents, and his mum wanted to take a photo of the seniors in front of the large building, before heading inside to the school's auditorium where the graduation ceremony was being held.

He could scarcely believe he'd made it to this day. When he'd first transferred to Burgess High School, he'd hated it, the idea of being forced to attend a mainstream school where he would be the lone Deaf student, relying on an interpreter, had been nerve-wracking. Then, had come the bullying, which had left him feeling scared and intimidated, causing him to feel even more lonely, separated not only by communication troubles, but also the belief that he was nothing but an outcast and that he was hated by the students at his new school.

Then Elsa had come, moving to the school from Norway, and suffering similar bullying. She had been teased for the minor mistakes she made in speaking English, and for her appearance. Although, he'd long since come to the conclusion that Violet had targeted Elsa, primarily out of jealousy, after all, Elsa was incredibly beautiful, with a natural beauty that girls like Violet could never achieve. Regardless of Violet's reasons for tormenting Elsa, it still didn't take away the shame and hurt that Elsa felt, or the way she had also been made to feel intimidated when attending school.

The day they had met had changed his life. In Elsa, he'd found someone who understood the loneliness he felt at their new school, the fear that the bullies had instilled in him, and eventually, a friend. It still surprised him to think that he, Jack Frost, had a girlfriend. Growing up he'd always been too focused on having fun, spending time with his friends and family. Relationships were something other people had, people like Aster and Tia who had finally realised they liked each other two years earlier, and had gone on to form a solid romance built on friendship, respect, and love. So when Elsa had waltzed into his life, and he'd realised that he was falling hard and fast for his best friend, it had shocked him.

Now, all he knew was that he had her in his life, and he never wanted to let her go. They may still be young, but he couldn't imagine being with anyone else but Elsa. She was his first kiss, his first love, and he was determined that she'd be his only love. Sure, he'd had his share of worries, his insecurities had left him to fear that Elsa wouldn't want to be with him long term, that the way in which their future life would differ from that of a relationship between two hearing people would eventually drive them apart. It had taken a lot for him to admit his fears to Elsa five weeks earlier, but he'd done it, and it had allowed them to move forward, with Elsa taking him aside, and pointing out how much she loved him, and that she didn't want to spend her life with anyone but him.

He chuckled, the memory of his mother playfully smacking him around the head when she'd learned of his insecurities remained fresh in his mind. He'd gone home, feeling better after talking it through with Elsa, only for his mum to point out that it was painfully obvious that Elsa was as in love, and devoted to Jack as he was with her. She'd also gone on to mention that the modifications that he and Elsa would have to make in order for a future together was no different to the modifications she had made upon learning that her beloved son was Deaf, and that Elsa, like she had, would have no issues making those changes because she loved him.

Jack felt the familiar tug of a smile forming on his face as he stepped closer to Elsa, his eyes flicking over her, taking in the sight of her light blue dress, her hair left loose to drape over her shoulders.

"You look beautiful," he said, blushing.

"Thank you," Elsa replied, blushing slightly. "You look great as well."

Jack felt his cheeks heating up. Grinning, he moved to smooth down the black dress shirt which he'd chosen to wear along with a pair of dark blue jeans.

He was just about to reach out and take Elsa's hand, pulling her out of sight of their families to steal a kiss when he was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder.

"I want to see you in your dress," Anna teased, pointing at the bag which held his graduation gown.

Jack groaned, rolling his eyes. "It's not a dress!" he protested, poking his tongue out.

"It is too!" Anna shot back, smirking.

"Even if it was a dress, I'd still look more manly then all five of the One Direction girls put together," he teased, watching as Emily translated the unknown words to Anna.

"You take that back, Jack Frost!" Anna shot back.

Jack smirked, laughing at the horrified looks on Anna and Emily's faces at the insult he'd just thrown at their beloved boy band. Turning, he focused his attention back on Elsa, winking at her when he noticed the amused expression on her face.

…**..~X~...**

Elsa blushed, making her way from her seat down the aisle towards the stage. Slowly, she climbed the stairs, taking extra care to not step on the hem of her long gown. Taking a deep breath, she made her way across the stage, pausing to shake hands with the principal and hold her certificate of graduation up so that her parents could snap a photo before making her way back to her seat beside Jack.

They had somehow managed to enter the auditorium with only minutes to spare before the graduation ceremony began, having lost track of time whilst posing for photo's. It hadn't been enough that their mothers had wanted a few different shots of them as individuals, they had then had to stand for the pictures of them as a couple both in their normal clothes, and in their gown, with their parents demanding a series of poses ranging from them standing alongside each other, to ones of them with their arms around each other, holding each other close. After that, they'd had to go through the family photo's, and the older/ younger sibling photo's, then there was the photo of Jack with Hans, and Jack, Elsa and Hans, and finally they had gone for a combined Andersen and Frost families photo, relying on Hans to snap the photo.

Sitting down, she reached over and gripped Jack's hand, smiling as he leaned over to press a kiss on her cheek before returning his attention to Hans who was sitting alongside the principal, translating.

They had been lucky that their teachers had set aside a few rows of seats at the front of the auditorium specifically for the graduating students. Initially she'd been worried that they would have to sit according to alphabetical order, with Elsa and Jack being separated, but that hadn't been the case. Instead, the teachers had allowed them to sit wherever they liked, so long as it was in the rows that had been designated for seniors. Her and Jack had taken a spot in the front row, allowing them to focus on the stage, and ignore the sight of Violet and Tyler scowling in the third row.

The last few weeks had been considerably better as far as their bullies had been concerned. Ever since the confrontation in the cafeteria, they had backed down, resorting to the odd glare in the hallway. Initially Elsa had feared that Violet and Tyler would target them at lunch, but they hadn't. They had even been left alone in class, with both Jack and Elsa finding that they now had classmates who took it upon themselves to sit besides them in class.

The sound of Jack's name being called snapped Elsa from her thoughts. Grinning, she watched as he got to his feet, slowly making his way up the stage, stopping to high-five Hans before he accepted his certificate. She couldn't help but giggle when Jack shook his head, causing his mortarboard to fall off, before turning to give the audience his lopsided grin and flinging them a thumbs up.

"You always have to do things your own way don't you?" she teased, beaming at him.

"The crowd loved it," Jack bragged, winking at her. "What can I say, I'm a people-pleaser."

Rolling her eyes, she playfully swatted him before shifting her seat closer, resting her head on his shoulder whilst the remainder of their classmates were called to accept their certificates.

…**~X~...**

Jack sighed, wrapping his arms around Elsa's waist and pulling her close, resting his head on her shoulder and breathing in her scent.

He couldn't believe they had done it, they had actually graduated and were no longer school students. After a long and boring ceremony filled with a lot of speeches that had left him wanting to snooze, they had been released. The graduating class and their families had been sent into the school gymnasium where a series of tables with refreshments had been set up along with chairs and tables for people to sit and rest.

To his relief Tyler and Violet had not stuck around. Jack had watched as they had ran out when their names had been called,snatching their certificate before leaving the stage and slinking out the doors. They hadn't even bothered to stay for the remainder of the ceremony.

He felt Elsa's hand reach to stroke at his cheek before moving to cup his chin as she raised his head, directing his eyes to Hans. Grinning, he let go of Elsa, moving to shake hands with Hans and his partner, Tim, who had introduced himself to Jack earlier, claiming it was about time he met the student that his boyfriend had been working with.

"So, this is where we say goodbye," Hans said, frowning. "I'm not going to lie, I will miss you mate, you've been a joy to work with."

Jack nodded. "Thanks, Hans, thank you for being there for me and for all your work," he replied. "I don't think I'd have handled my time here quite as well if I didn't have you or Elsa."

"You did it all by yourself, Jack," Hans pointed out. "You're a smart guy, and you're going to make one hell of a teacher. I'm so excited for your future, for both your and Elsa's future's. The two of you are going to do great things."

Jack blushed, watching as his mum came to stand beside him, pulling out a small card and gift which they had purchased for Hans, and handing it to Jack.

Grinning, he handed the gift over, letting Hans know that he had been the one who had chosen the gift. He watched as Hans eyes widened, grinning when he unwrapped the paper, revealing the small Spiderman figurine.

"You remembered?" Hans asked. "I can't believe you remembered. I told you that Spidey was my favourite superhero during our first week working together, and all these months later you remember."

Jack grinned. "How could I forget, you're clearly deluded. I've already told you that everyone knows the two best Marvel characters are Wolverine and Loki," he sassed.

He watched as Hans furrowed his brow whilst he considered his response. He couldn't deny that he was going to miss seeing Hans during the week. He'd come to enjoy the rapport he had with his interpreter, and had enjoyed a few good discussions prior to the commencement of the school day over a range of topics from superheroes, to comics, movies, and even sharing a few cheesy jokes.

"Oh, before I forget," Hans began. " Strictly speaking, I shouldn't be doing this, but as of now you are no longer my client, so I feel no guilt in saying that I have a little something for you, well it's for both you and Elsa really."

Tilting his head, Jack looked at him, watching as he dug into his pocket and pulled out a gift card for a nearby restaurant. "Here," Hans said, handing the card to Jack. "There's fifty dollars on this card. I want you to take your girlfriend out on a date, just her and you. The pair of you deserve a nice night to yourselves for all the work you've done this year."

"Thank you," Jack replied, pocketing the gift card.

"You're welcome," Hans said. "Just promise me that you two will keep in contact. Your mum has my email address, and I know that both Tim and myself would love to hear how the two of you are doing."

Jack nodded, reaching out to pull Elsa towards him.

"Also," Hans continued. "Tim and I expect that we will get an invite to your wedding, because lets face it, you two are made for each other. Plus, I kind of figure I should be at the wedding, especially seeing as I called it before the two of you had even realised your feelings for each other."

He watched as Hans frowned, stepping away from his partner and beckoning for Jack to follow him, leaving Tim and Elsa to enjoy a quick conversation.

"Listen mate," Hans began. "I just want to say, all jokes aside, working with you has been great. I couldn't have asked for a better young man to assist. I am so proud of you, of everything that you have achieved, and all the great changes that you've experienced over your last school year. I'm proud to have witnessed you getting accepted into university, to meeting Elsa who truly dotes on you, and then to see you standing up to your bullies. I want you to remember that you are more than capable of anything and everything you want, don't let anyone ever tell you that you can't do something, or that you don't deserve something, because you can and you do. You are a great man, Jack Frost, and the future is yours for the taking."

…**..~X~...**

Elsa smiled, leaning back against Jack's chest whilst sipping on a cold drink.

After a long day they had finally returned to her house, having left that morning as school students, only to return mid afternoon as graduates. One part of their life had officially finished, making way for their future. She couldn't deny that the future seemed intimidating, for one she'd have to get used to not attending university with Jack. She would be travelling the forty minutes to her university campus, whilst Jack remained at home, having accepted to study his course externally rather than have to move interstate to study on campus. Still, she knew that they would get through it, and she'd see Jack regularly, with the couple having already agreed to try and not go a day without seeing each other.

After leaving the ceremony, their parents had expressed interest in continuing the celebration, giving Jack and Elsa the choice of where and how they wished to celebrate. She and Jack had looked each other, and had agreed to ask for a simple barbeque in the Andersen's backyard, preferring to spend the time in a relaxed atmosphere with those they were closest to. Thankfully, their families had agreed, even allowing them to invite Aster and Tia to come over.

"Come with me," Jack spoke, his mouth hovering by Elsa's ear.

Elsa nodded, placing her empty can on the ground before disentangling herself from Jack's arms. She watched as he stood up, signing to let their friends and families know that they'd be back in a minute, before taking her hand and leading her indoors and into the lounge room, sliding the door shut behind them.

"Jack," she said. "If my father knows we're in a room alone together with a closed door he'll get mad."

"Relax, El, I just want to talk with you, to have a moment to ourselves. We've not had that all day," he murmured.

Elsa grinned, blushing as Jack closed the gap between them and throwing his arms around her waist, pulling her to rest against his chest. "I love you," he spoke. "I don't ever think I can get over how grateful I am for you, for the fact that you came into my life. I know that if it hadn't been for you, my last year of school would have been hell, but then you came, and changed my life for the better."

Elsa felt like she could melt, blown away by the kindness and sincerity of Jack's words. She knew exactly how he felt, because it was how she felt about him, he'd been the best part of her life so far. She frowned, trying to think of a way to express herself, to tell Jack that she felt the same without sounding too cheesy, when his hand reached to stroke at her face, lightly cupping her cheek before he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss on her lips.

Moaning, she wrapped her arms around his neck, tightening her hold on him whilst he deepened the kiss, his tongue gliding over her lips, begging for entrance which she granted. They stood in the centre of the room, sharing kisses for a few seconds before pulling away, resting their foreheads against each other's.

"I love you," she signed. "You really are the best part of my life, and I can't imagine living without you."

Her eyes shifted to look at the closed door and she sighed, stepping out of Jack's grip. "Now come on, lets go get some food before our friends and families eat all the food."

Smirking, she grabbed Jack's hand, tugging him towards the backyard where their loved ones were waiting.

Her eyes glimpsed over the small Norwegian flag which sat on the top of the fridge, a subtle reminder of her past, and her homeland. She felt a squeeze on her hand as Jack indicated towards the back door and smiled. Norway was her home, her past, but Jack, he was part of her future.

**A/N- As always, thanks for your reviews, follows and support. The next chapter will be the very last one, although will likely post it after I've posted first chapter of my next Jelsa fic (Gah, I'm so addicted to these cuties!) .**

In case you're wondering, whilst the universities they are attending are fake, they are based off of real universities and the courses they've been accepted into are real courses.

Elsa's university- dubbed Beaconsfield University is fake- but based off of Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania, USA, which really does offer a BS in American Sign Language/ English Interpreting.

Jack's university- dubbed Gallamet University, is actually based off of Gallaudet University and is a university which caters for Deaf students, and Jack's course, which will enable him to be an Elementary school teacher, is a real course.  



End file.
